Review of When the Past Came Calling

Mutai Marshal · Post by **Mutai Marshal** » 18 Jun 2023, 10:50

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "When the Past Came Calling" by Larry Kaplan.]

4 out of 5 stars

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Michael's phone call to David set off a chain of events that defy description. Bizarre comes close, but it doesn't quite capture the magnitude of what is unfolding. Events dating back over four lustrums are about to come to a head.

In the summer of 1966, David was part of a band named Timekeepers. While performing as a guitar player at Mr. Friedman’s birthday party one evening, David’s attention was drawn to a lady watching them perform from a distance. He seized the hiatus to approach the lady. The encounter didn’t last, as David had to return to the band to continue with the performance. He later braved the heavy downpour at night to talk to the lady in their backyard. The encounter was cut short when her aunt called out to her to return to the house as it was late and raining. While they agreed to meet the next day, they didn't, and for the next twenty-three years, David believed Mary–the girl’s name according to David–changed her mind about him.

At almost the same time, David and Benny–Mr. Friedman’s son–had a fallout. So what was Michael’s motive when he called David? Is Benny in the right state of mind? His obsession with the death of John F Kennedy will unearth plenty. But will the wheels of justice take its course? What resulted in the fallout between the once inseparable friends–David and Benny?

When I completed devouring this book, I couldn’t help but imagine how wrong our judgments can be. Had David confronted the reality behind Benny’s change in demeanor, he would have salvaged their relationship. Benny, on the other hand, wouldn’t have held back the letter addressed to David by Lena. This would have helped unravel the heinous acts orchestrated by Conrad and the other bad guys on time. The lives of innocent people could have been saved also. I was reminded never to judge anything at face value.

When the Past Came Calling is expeditious. It chokes the breath out of you as you keep alternating and juggling between scenes of deceit, despair, and gratification. You only get time for an interlude when you put the book down. Everything that happens seems connected. The book seems to rebuff the notion that things happen by coincidence. I wondered why David fell asleep on that plane despite being engrossed in reading Benny’s manifesto: something that absolved Benny of people’s perceptions and redressed his ambitions.

Through the characters, we experience love, anxiety, contempt, and admiration. Benny is a character I deeply rooted for. Despite losing his father to suicide, his aspiration for justice to prevail was undeterred. He was thought demented and livid, but I saw an epitome of zeal and passion in him. Benny shows us that betrayal can push us to the brink of our sanity.

I’m rating this book 4 out of 5. The editing was exceptionally done. There were scenes, however, that seemed too 'staged.' Despite the exigent matter at hand, David dozed off on the plane, leaving his manifesto open for the 'passenger' next to him to peruse. How was Detective Sandra outclassed by Conrad in almost everything that transpired? This seemed impetuous and reckless, considering her professional standing.

If you are a lover of crime novels laced with mystery and science, I invite you to check out When the Past Came Calling by Larry Kaplan.

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When the Past Came Calling
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