Roots Down to Hell Book Review

I'd rate "Roots Down to Hell" by #ConservativeAuthor Matthew Louis a 4.5 out of 5 stars. In the video, I reference the review of Joe Navarro's "Dangerous Personalities," which you can view here: https://youtu.be/dlv44_SZlys
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When the character Kevin Chapman says, "pushing the life-fluid steadily out of the hole Michelle had made in me," he's talking about more than the knife wound in his shoulder.

And that's the excellent writing you can expect from Matthew Louis throughout "Roots Down to Hell." He has written the predatory narcissist so well that you instantly revile him, yet you instantly revile the wife who taunts the guy with killing his child and screwing a woman on the side. I found myself worried that Kevin--trying to cover up murder(s)--was about to get caught multiple times. Kudos to Louis for this conflicting trauma! Ha!

As others have mentioned, this novel has themes and words that will challenge some folks. Like gritty novels do.

One of the themes of the novel was that of redemption/forgiveness. About halfway into the story, a love interest is introduced and this gritty, dark, noir-thriller gets a clean romance subplot that I found intriguing--and I saw the parallel between the relationship being forced by the well-meaning Uncle Cliff and by the author convincing us Kevin was worthy of a woman who wasn't a selfish pig. We learn that the love interest (her name is September) has a muddy past, too, but can be forgiven. (We humans can reform.) There's even a scene in which she confesses and Kevin, almost thankful that she's not perfect, lets her know that her sketchy past is totally cool with him. She's forgiven and her arc is complete. I wish we could've seen Kevin's confession, whether it included repentance, how September reacted, and so on. I won't give away the ending, but the wrap-up wrapped up the crimes and coverups cleanly for the reader...but I think could have given more for the wrap-up of the secondary plot...that of forgiveness.

Overall, great writing made me root for someone I didn't like. I could see, hear, and smell characters I didn't necessarily want to see, hear, or smell. I read this in one sitting--about three or four hours--because the pacing was perfect. And that's all coming from someone who reads about other worlds to avoid this one. Nicely done.