I've decided to hit the ground running and make my first post a book review. Please bear with me if things are a bit rough around the edges as I undertake my new hobby of creative writing via the internet.

Puddle of Love is a gripping suspense-thriller novel written by my good friend and neighbor Dan Armstrong. I've always known Dan to be an amiable and socially-conscious fellow, but after reading his latest work front to back, I have gained a new appreciation for the depth of his intellect and his masterful skill as a storyteller.

The book centers around the fictional town of Briley in central Oregon. On the surface, nothing much happens in this rural podunk, and its population consists of a tightly-knit community where each individual's occupation fulfills a necessary role in keeping things running. Beneath the serene facade, however, the town's occupants harbor many personal secrets and grievances. From the beginning, the book has a very dark, raunchy and twisted undercurrent, and the various subplots meticulously intertwine and eventually reach a mind-melting climax throughout the course of the story.

This brief description, of course, can't possibly hope to convey how profoundly Puddle of Love appeals to everyone's hidden, morbid desire to peer into and explore the darkest depths of the human condition. The book delves so completely into the psyches of its characters that the reader can't help but empathize with them to the point where traditional moral lines are blurred and unacceptable behavior such as infidelity, murder and prostitution become justified. The implication is that the arbitrary separation of good and evil in this complex world is often an oversimplification which doesn't take into account the imperfect nature of humanity. Each of the characters is fully developed with a truly believable personality, including a multitude of strengths and weaknesses and motives that one can identify with, yet many of them lead such despicable and decrepit existences that I often found myself alternately smiling and cringing in disgust.

In delivering this morose content, Dan Armstrong also presents some of the most noble and virtuous aspects of human nature. Everyone has a limitless capacity for love, compassion and forgiveness, and these moments juxtaposed with the sinister tone of the book make for a powerful message. Armstrong guides the reader through such an intricate web of events and relationships that one can't help but be amazed at how well he understands what makes people tick. His writing style is replete with action, suspense, dark humor and witty dialog that captivates the reader, and although he jumps around between characters often, I never found myself bored or disengaged. The story slowly builds in intensity until all hell starts breaking loose and it becomes quite impossible to put down.

In addition to being an immensely fun read, I feel as though this novel is a bona fide study in human psychology and that I've now walked in the shoes of the convicts, housewives, harlots, preachers, drug addicts and various other compelling individuals I encountered in the story. The book also brought up some intriguing views on religion that resonated particularly well with me.

If you're looking for white-knuckle suspense, to enjoy a twisted guilty pleasure, and to open your mind to fresh perspectives on moral dilemmas, look no further than Puddle of Love. It will not disappoint.