The Book of Thunder and Lightning

This overloaded supernatural thriller from Duncan (Headcase) toggles between past and present to reveal the surprising link between Tom Baxter, a Victorian schoolchild, and Simon Beaver, a would-be journalist supporting himself by writing restaurant reviews and tutoring. Tom’s father, Frank, lost his job when he became blind, forcing Tom to try his best to provide for his parents and younger sister. This responsibility brings him into the orbit of two repellent figures. Haberdasher Theodore Hush insists that Tom steal a watch for him in return for food, and then, when Tom is caught, the intended victim, Arthur Snipe, withdraws charges in exchange for Tom working in Snipe’s paint business, which is actually a front to distribute narcotics. This Dickensian plot is harrowing and easy to get sucked into, but the story loses steam in the modern sections when Tom surfaces as a ghost and teams up with Simon through a kind of spirit world “exchange program.” Simon, meanwhile, accidentally becomes embroiled with a drug ring himself through one of his tutoring clients. The past is far more vivid than the present, and the device connecting the two eras feels clunky. Readers will be frustrated. (Jan.)