Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin, The Dead Man: Face of Evil

The Dead Man: Face of Evil, by Lee Goldberg and William Rabkin, introduces likable protagonist Matthew Cahill. There's nothing not to like about Matt, in fact: he's hard-working and loyal and emotionally wounded, and he chops wood every morning with his shirt off. After a near-death experience, Matt finds himself stuck with an unusual ability and having run-ins with a lollipop-sucking evil guy—think Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, maybe. The book is a short read, less than a hundred pages in print form, and it ends without any real conclusion: there's definitely more to come. My reaction to the story is mixed. Much of it I liked, but I found the graphically violent parts and some of the language out of place. They jarred with the surrounding narrative, it seemed to me. Other than that distraction, it was a fast-paced read, and I'm curious to know what comes next in the story.