cover image Martyring

Martyring

Thomas Sullivan. Forge, $22.95 (256pp) ISBN 978-0-312-86361-6

Sullivan's modern gothic fashions some predictable twists on traditional concepts of faith and redemption. For centuries, the men and women of the Hauptmann family have engaged in the craft of making stained glass. Now, in the mid-1970s, 17-year-old Kurt Nehmer arrives in Padobar, Fla., from Germany to be inducted into the family secrets under the guidance of Gerta Hauptmann, the clan's matriarch. Sinister events begin to take place after Gerta's son Martin dies and Gerta summons her other son, Detlef, from Germany. Kurt feels like an outsider among his relatives, especially among those who, unlike him, have experienced ""the second confirmation,"" a vision that enables them to see 2000 years of family history. Forebodingly, Kurt also dimly recalls a disturbing week spent with Uncle Detlef at Chartres Cathedral in France. Soon, the community experiences a rash of accidents, suicides and murders, and it's up to Jack Skelote, a cop with a slow response but a fair instinct, to interpret the sudden mayhem in his county. Meanwhile, Kurt discovers horrifying atrocities linked to the Hauptmann legacy--and to the present-day killings. He reacts, but his actions only seal his fate. Sullivan plumps his tale with biblical parallels and unique motivations. But the plot, too burdened by its tone of dull portent, never hits a comfortable pace. (Mar.)