A review by bract4813mypacksnet
Lamentation by Joe Clifford

5.0

Lamentation is filled with true-to-life characters living in the sordid underbelly of small-town America, the places Leave it to Beaver never dealt with. Jay Porter, a troubled young man, remains tied to his hometown by his own lack of get-up-and-go and memories of his once-happy childhood. His parents died when he and his brother Chris were young. Jay is leading a fairly miserable life, working odd jobs, barely making ends meet, behind on child support, separated from his one true love with whom he has a son he scarcely knows. His sorry life is nothing compared to that of his brother. Chris raised Jay then fell into a deep pit of drugs, addiction, and prostitution. When Chris is accused of murder, familial ties pull Jay to help his brother, despite Jay’s misgivings. A surprise twist in this who-dunnit and the gritty voice of Jay himself kept me page-turning. I received this book in exchange for a fair review.