Synopsis
Through his family, Kurt is heir to the Hauptmann dynasty and the mystery of creating stained glass, as well as other arcane heritages. One of the family secrets is a path to divinity that runs through darkness as well as light. Another is the familys bond of blood, its own and that of its enemies. As Kurt gropes toward the truth, so does the tough and cynical cop, Jack Skelote.
Reviews
From the author of The Phases of Harry Moon (1988) and the stylish Born Burning (1989): a densely written and conceived suspense novel that's too earnest and too rich for a simple pursuit of the genre's standard gore and horror. Here, the Hauptmanns themselves are the MacGuffin, with their family ghosts dating back to the earliest days of Christianity. When the elderly Martin Hauptmann dies in Padobar, Florida, his East German nephew, Kurt Nehmer, is summoned in order to learn--and help in--Martin's stained-glass business. The perfect Hauptmanns have made stained glass for many centuries, and, it seems, their stained glass holds a mystical clan secret. Also arriving in Florida is Detlef Hauptmann, Martin's drunken brother, who has just lost one son while steeplejacking and who brings a second son with him. Detlef once took Kurt Nehmer to Chartres to show him what ``real'' stained glass was like (as opposed to the merely narrow, slitted window, say). Uncle Detlef sobers, but the county finds itself mired in strange deaths, no two alike. At the same time, as Uncle Detlef loses his drunkard's pallor, his hair darkens, and his eyes even take on a youthful sparkle. Kurt finds himself falling for his cousin, Ute Hauptmann--but the family's real focus of interest settles on whether or not Kurt has been having any ``dreams'' (read mystical visions) about the family's early centuries. For only when his unconsciousness erupts with the ``treasures'' of the ages-old Hauptmann family will Kurt find pride of place as a real Hauptmann and be ready for his ``second confirmation'' or his initiation into the full Hauptmannian mystery. Meanwhile, a detective gathering clues about all the recent deaths finds that each of them corresponds to the demise either of the Four Evangelists or of other Christian martyrs, whose figures are represented in glass in a Hauptmann chapel now being upgraded for God by Uncle Detlef. . . . Sullivan's most sustained and strongest yet, with the plus of being well stocked with stained-glass lore. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
The art of making stained glass has served the Hauptmann family for centuries. Kurt Nehmer, a relative of the Hauptmanns, travels from Germany to Florida to learn the business. His uncle Detlef now heads the family; however, not much stained glass is being sold. Meanwhile, policeman Jack Skelote investigates the dozen recent murders that have occurred in the vicinity. He gradually draws a connection between the horrendous deaths of these men (by beheading, clubbing, hanging, spearing, boiling in tar, crucifying) and the deaths of early Christian martyrs. Thus Steve Laberdie, who suffocated beneath a pile of gravel, echoes the ancient stoning of St. Stephen. Mysteriously, all the bodies were exhumed and immediately retombed in stained glass within the chapel by Detlef. Finally, repelled at his uncle's creation, Kurt sets fire to the chapel, burning the corpses along with his relatives. Only then does he comprehend the family secrets, the legacy of hatred, and with this knowledge, he can keep the craft alive. Jennifer Henderson
From time immemorial, Hauptmann family members have been creators of stained glass. Young Kurt Nehmann, a Hauptmann through his mother, leaves his native Germany to learn the family business in Florida. From the beginning, though, Kurt feels like an outsider. There are secrets and history of which he is unaware, and for a long time no one seems willing to bring him truly into the fold. His forbidding grandmother Gerta, his frighteningly cruel uncle Detlef, and his sexy cousin Ute all mystify him. At the same time, Jack Skelote, a middle-aged, recently divorced cop, is trying to solve a series of horrifying murders. As the body count mounts, Skelote finally concludes that a Hauptmann family member is responsible. Sullivan has created a tale that fits easily within the Gothic horror tradition, and some of the details of the grisly murders are suitably disturbing. Unfortunately, however, much of the plot is predictable, and the characters never seem to come completely to life. Recommended only for large fiction collections where horror is in demand.?Dean James, Murder by the Book, Houston
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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