I Know When You're Going To Die

by Michael J Bowler

 

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GENRE: Mystery/Thriller

 

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BLURB:

 

Leonardo Cantrell is a painfully shy sixteen-year-old who cannot look people in the eye. One night while he’s volunteering at a homeless shelter, an old man forces eye contact and gives Leo the power to see Death.

 

His best, and only, friend—J.C. Rivera—thinks this new power is cool until Leo accidentally looks into J.C.’s eyes and “sees” his murder, a murder that will occur in less than two weeks. Stunned and shaken, the two boys sift through clues in Leo’s “vision” in a desperate effort to find the killer and stop him before he can strike.

 

Aided by feisty new-girl-at-school, Laura, the boys uncover evidence suggesting the identity of the murderer. However, their plan to trap the would-be killer goes horribly awry and reveals a truth that could kill them all.

 

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EXCERPT:

J.C. slurps his drink and waits till I’m ready. This is one of those moments I need a lot of time. Five minutes pass while I process everything I saw in   Kyle’s eyes. I know J.C. is about to jump out of his skin, so I finally whisper, “He’s going to be shot.”

 

“No way!” J.C. looks as shocked as I’ve ever seen him. “When?” “Tuesday.”

 

He gags on the sip he’s taking. “You sure?” I nod.

 

“Could you see where?”

 

I shake my head. “It was hazy. The gun went off and he was on the ground bleeding out.”

 

“Oh, my God!” J.C. puts down his drink and we sit a moment in silence. He must know what I’m thinking because he says, “You can’t warn him, Leo.”

 

“Why not?”

 

He hesitates. “I don’t know for sure, but maybe it’s like he’s supposed to  die on Tuesday and if you warn him and he doesn’t, then maybe you create some rift in time or something, like in X-Men comics.”

 

J.C. is a major X-Men fan. Me, not so much. “J.C., he’s just a kid like us.”

 

“I know.” He pauses. “But what if you tell him now and on Tuesday he changes what he would normally do and because he changes his routine, that’s why he gets shot.”

 

Having had these geek conversations with him over the years about time travel and numerous “what if ” scenarios, I understand what he’s trying to tell me.

 

Make wise choices.

 

Was this what Mr. Franklin meant? That the choices I make to tell or not tell people what I see could be as significant as J.C. suggests?

REVIEW

Leo Cantrell is a rick 16 year old boy, who is painfully shy. He has a mom who is always trying to buy him everything. His shyness keeps him from having many friends. His one true friend is JC.

Leo keeps to himself and volunteers at a shelter. Since he is so shy he doesn't like to look people in the eyes. While volunteering one day an old man looks him in the eyes and gives him something. He gives him the ability to tell when someone is going to die if he looks at them in the eyes. This is either a gift or a curse.

I must say I was a little hesitant at first with this one, I thought it would be a little dry and boring, but boy was I surprised. The story takes on a life of it's own. I adored Leo and his awkward shyness that pretty much run his whole life. I think Leo is a good kid with his volunteer work.  The story brought out a lot of excitement and a lot of guessing at what was still to come. All in all I thought the story was interesting and fresh. All the characters brought a little something to the story and Leo was a favorite of mine. Highly recommend this one!

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Michael J. Bowler is an award-winning author who grew up in Northern California. He majored in English/Theatre at Santa Clara University, earned a master’s in film production from Loyola Marymount University, a teaching credential in English from LMU, and a master's in Special Education from Cal State University Dominguez Hills. Michael taught high school in Hawthorne, California, both in general education and to students with learning disabilities. When Michael is not writing, you can find him volunteering as a youth mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and raising his newly adopted son. He is a passionate advocate for the fair treatment of children and teens in California, and hopes his books can show young people they are not alone in their struggles.

 

Buy Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z48BHH4

 

Social Media:

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