Review: Under The Blood By James Toner

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Sixteen year-old Gil Leduc walks to school one day when he stumbles across the dead body of his close friend Paul Connors. Paul, who once had been active in his church youth group, had recently joined the Black Ravens, a Satanic gang.

Gil vows to find the killer, but he's told not to interfere with the investigation by Detective Patricia Daulton, a hard-nosed, by the book cop.

During the course of the investigation, Gil receives numerous threats on his life. For example, someone hangs dead animals on the gutter of his garage. Later someone calls him claiming to be Satan himself.

Not only does Gil receive such threats, but so does his girlfriend, Jan Barrio and her family. Her father, a Niagara Falls police officer, urges him to leave the investigating to the police.

Under the Blood is a youth mystery novel combining the suspense of a Hardy Boys novel and the spiritual warfare elements of a Frank Peretti novel.

James F. Toner has a Bachelor's degree in French from Houghton College. He studied a semester in Tours, France. He has worked for the last eight years as a youth sponsor at his church. He has completed the novel writing course of Writer's Digest School and three courses of the Institute of Children's Writing.

Over the years he has edited a few church newsletters and was briefly the leader of a writers' group in Southern Ontario. He has written for the Rock Express Management Newsletter and has seen his softball articles published in the Niagara Gazette. He has had a few letters published in Le Journal Francais.

Currently he works as an accountant in a Buffalo area hotel and studies accounting at Niagara University.

His interests include reading, writing, foreign languages, bicycling, softball, football, basketball, and hockey.

Under The Blood By James Toner

Review By Heidi Lynn's Book Reviews

First, I want to thank James Toner for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

James Toner Under the Blood captured my attention in many ways in this book and would not let it go until the very end of the story. The storyline was different and fresh than the ones I am used to reading. That in itself made it refreshing.

One thing I love about James writing is he writes what he knows. He lives in the Niagara Falls area and incorporates that into his books. For someone like me who lives in WNY I am familiar with the places he mentions in the book. So, when I read the book I can picture where he is talking about.

The main theme in this book is good vs. evil between a Satanic gang and the others.

My heart went out to Gil who lost his friend. However, I would have wanted to do the same thing and played detective to find out how or who killed him.

James did an amazing job with the mystery and investigation aspect of this story. He has a knack for this genre.