Boys of Blur

Coach Willie Wisdom’s death sets off a domino reaction. Charlie’s all-star, pro-league football father learned everything he knows from the old coach, so Charlie is hauled out to Taper, Florida, a little town in a sea of sugar cane, to attend the funeral. There he meets Cotton, his step second cousin, who hauls him through the sugar cane. As they are running through the swamp, they see a man in a conquistador helmet with a sword. Later, Charlie and Cotton see him again, digging up Coach’s grave. There they get their first look at a Stank, a humanoid creature whose smell instills hatred and jealousy. When Cotton is mortally wounded, Charlie must kill the source of the Stanks before they kill everyone he loves.

This book was suspensefully creepy – not a book to read at night! It had some interesting themes; I liked that Charlie was able to accept people as they were, and that he had a good relationship with his family. The supernatural elements were interesting; they showed how jealousy, rage, and hatred can change a person’s life. I liked how Charlie chose not to be scarred by his past, and the setting was fresh.