cover image Second Horseman Out of Eden

Second Horseman Out of Eden

George C. Chesbro. Atheneum Books, $18.95 (248pp) ISBN 978-0-689-11979-8

The seventh saga starring Dr. Frederickson (Mongo), master criminologist, equals the earlier stories in hyperbole and in terrific suspense as well. As related by Mongo, his brother Garth finds a letter to Santa Claus written by little Vicky Brown, begging for help. Her parents are among duped followers of ``Reverend'' Kenecky, who sexually abuses Vicky. Determined to rescue the little girl, Mongo and Garth survive a series of tension-producing clashes with Kenecky's vicious flunkies, first in New York and moving all the way to Iowa, the site of a planned Armageddon. As Garth says, it will take a miracle to save the world from a scene out of Revelation , when the ``second horseman'' appears to destroy peace and humankind. The reader doesn't need a miracle to suspend disbelief, just the appreciation of Chesbro's unlimited imagination and admiration of the valiant brothers, to relish this scary adventure. (May)