The Last Piper - Hardcover

The Last Piper was a 1997 nominee for the Edgar Allen Poe Award from Mystery Writers of America.

Grade 4-7?When Christie and her brother accompany their mother on a business trip to Scotland, five-year-old Mikey begins talking about the time when he was a man named Firth and lived in a castle. The family ends up staying at Castle Lauder with Firth's sister, Em, who still mourns the man's death by hanging 50 years ago and still asserts his innocence in his fiancee's murder. Christie begins exploring the possibility of reincarnation and sees Firth's ghost. Em eventually brings in her friend Dr. Dalvercroft, a professor of parapsychology. Christie finally confronts the ghost and all mysteries and problems are resolved, including Mikey's asthma and apparent "birthmark" from when he was hanged as Firth. The book ends with Em explaining that Mikey will become the next Lauder piper, responsible for all clan (or sect) history. There is so much going on in this story that several of the threads are lost or tangled. Its worst flaw is the stilted, unrealistic dialogue. The only time Christie actually sounds like a 13-year-old is when she is whining about having to care for her little brother. Characters are shallow types: Dr. Dalvercroft has all the answers, Em is trusting and serene, and Christie's mother is completely oblivious. The ghost story aspect lacks tension and "chill" power; the reincarnation lessons lack subtlety and style. Peg Kehret's Sisters, Long Ago (Pocket Bks., 1992) is a better reincarnation novel. For ghost stories, turn to David Wiseman's Jeremy Visick (Houghton, 1990) or Robert Westall's Stones of Muncaster Cathedral (Farrar, 1993).?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.