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Here\u2019s a weird book.<\/strong> Mortom<\/a> <\/em>by Erik Therme shows signs of promise, but I found it ultimately disappointing.<\/p>\n Andy Crowl is kind of obsessive-compulsive about puzzles. So he\u2019s hopelessly hooked when his cousin Craig, whom he didn\u2019t even know all that well, died and left him his house, complete with a mystery. The house, in a tiny town called Mortom, isn\u2019t worth much, and it looks as if Craig\u2019s debts and the house value will just about balance each other out.<\/p>\n But Craig leaves a clue behind \u2013 a gruesome one. Under the refrigerator Andy finds a decomposing rat, and in the rat\u2019s mouth are a note and a locker key. This starts him on a quest for a series of obscure clues, impelled by his cousin\u2019s promise that there\u2019s a prize at the end \u2013 and a penalty if he should fail the test. Andy\u2019s sister has come with him to help him close out the estate, but she isn\u2019t enthusiastic about the treasure hunt.<\/p>\n I finished the book, so I\u2019ll give it credit for keeping me interested. But overall I found it kind of disappointing. The plot is improbable, and the characters aren\u2019t very well developed \u2013 their words and actions don\u2019t always seem plausible. Andy is kind of a jerk, and doesn’t learn any lessons. And I found the final resolution, personally, unsatisfying.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve read worse, and abandoned worse than that. But I don\u2019t really recommend Mortom<\/em>. Cautions for language.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here\u2019s a weird book. Mortom by Erik Therme shows signs of promise, but I found it ultimately disappointing. Andy Crowl is kind of obsessive-compulsive about puzzles. So he\u2019s hopelessly hooked when his cousin Craig, whom he didn\u2019t even know all that well, died and left him his house, complete with a mystery. The house, in … Continue reading ‘Mortom,’ by Erik Therme<\/span>