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

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The Dead Man: Face of Evil, by Lee Godberg and William Rabkin, introduces likeable 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 either crazy or 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.