Personal Effects: Dark Art

Personal Effects: Dark Art
J.C. Hutchins tries a new form of storytelling in this Supernatural thriller.
“Personal Effects: Dark Art” is by J.C. Hutchins and Jordan Weisman. This is Hutchins second novel, the first being the “7th Son.” Weisman is known for creating marketing campaigns for such famous franchises like “The Dark Knight” and “Halo.”
The story follows an art therapist, Zackary Taylor, and his new patient, Martin Grace. Grace is a blind psychic serial killer convicted of twelve murders. Grace claims he has not killed but takes responsibility for the victim's deaths. Acting difficult, Taylor has to learn to match wits with Grace. Taylor discovers not only Grace's secret path but also his own families filled with conspiracies, love triangles, and ghost.
The novel comes with items used and described throughout the book called “Personal Effects.” License, photographs, birth and death certificates were included. The reader can call the phone numbers and search the websites.
The story and writing was engaging. Hutchins does not waste time introducing characters. The narrative is fast paced and action is always present. Character interaction troubled me like with Zack and his brother. The author took to much time explaining the brother's way of speech and I found myself wishing he would just start speaking normal.
The reason I bought the books was for The “Personal Effects.” I ended up being very disappointed, distracted, and found the items useless. Hutchins does an excellent job of describing objects, events, and characters so there was no need for the interactive substance. Besides, the need to use the material dropped off in the middle of the novel. Calling the phone number threw off my imagination. The character's tone didn't match the character's voice in the book. Zack Taylor's father did not sound as tough over the phone as he did on the page. The website's wasted time on useless topics which had no importance with the book.
The novel is a good read. It was appealing and kept my interest. The mystery, murder, and secrets keep the reader wondering to the end. The extra elements didn't enhance the read like I anticipated. It took me out of the story instead of dragging me in.