Kimber Silver's Reviews > Mr. Flood's Last Resort

"There are more things in Heaven and Earth."
— William Shakespeare

"He has a curious way of moving through his rubbish. He leans into it, skimming down the corridors like a fearless biker on a hairpin bend."

The 'he' in the above quote would be Cathal Flood. His name fits, as he is a cantankerous Irish disaster and hoarding is his specialty. At six feet nine inches, Mr. Flood, though frail with age, is still a force to be reckoned with. He has run off every home carer sent his way, and rumor has it that some had barely escaped Bridlemere (the neglected mansion Flood calls home) with their lives.

Enter Maud Dennen, who is not your average carer. She brings with her a retinue of saints and has a backbone made of steel. Good luck to Cathal Flood in dispatching her so easily…

"I look back at Bridlemere from the gate. From the street it’s a wall of dark green, a forest of leylandii grown up around Sleeping Beauty’s castle."

As Maud peels back chaotic layers of rubbish and navigates Cathal’s clowder of cats, she uncovers more than his no-wax flooring. Curious clues begin to pop out of a sink and fly at her from a pantry, and she begins to ask herself: What sinister forces are at work in this house?

"A pearl is an everlasting tear," he whispers. "A swaddled hurt."

Mr. Flood’s Last Resort is altogether a murder mystery, a haunting, and a fight to save what is left of a person once tragedy has taken its toll - all of it wrapped up in a magical realism enchilada. I laughed, cried, and gasped aloud as Maud and Cathal cagily maneuvered around each other while sorting out his mysterious manor. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with them both.

If you enjoy magical realism done well, this will be your cup of tea. What a fabulous read!