Spoiler warning: Because the Sandusky Darkness series takes place with no time skip between books, there is simply no way to talk about Sandusky Reckoning without spoiling the end of the first novel, Sandusky Burning. This review is written with the assumption that the reader has already read Sandusky Burning. (So, if you fear a spoiler, don’t say we didn’t warn you.)
A Thrilling Sequel to Sandusky Burning
Veteran Brady Sullivan’s bad week gets even worse in the sequel novel Sandusky Reckoning. In the first novel, what had appeared to be an everyday campground was a front for something else entirely — a criminal cabal hiding in plain sight. But if Brady thought that taking down Randy and his wannabe gang would put an end to his problems, he had no idea what was coming. Instead, he stepped on the Romanian hornet’s nest hidden just under Sandusky Shores.
Readers who enjoyed Bryan W. Conway’s action-packed first novel will love the sequel. Conway delivers another gritty, suspenseful, action-packed “NoirV” novel that pulls no punches. Sandusky Reckoning continues with the first novel’s penchant for split perspectives and dramatic irony. It also introduces an entirely unique storyline.
It would have been easy for Conway to end the story after Brady and Mike’s crazy stunt at the end of the first book, leaving readers to speculate at their miraculous escape from consequences and eventual happy ending. But Conway isn’t interested in telling easy stories. Brady has new enemies now — including Randy’s self-appointed successor, Daniella, and her thirst for revenge; the crooked Sheriff Minelli’s with a thirst for justice; and Chris’s girlfriend Candy’s with thirst for vodka cranberries. In the previous novel, Brady and his vet buddy Mike pulled off a hasty, sloppy, messy, passionate retaliation against Randy’s crew. But in this second novel, there is a reckoning. And we get to see the fallout in Technicolor detail. It’s a refreshing take on the typical action story formula that’s more than welcome.
A Literary Reckoning: Highs and Lows
Between his first and second book, Conway has put considerable effort into improving his craft. His writing style is more confident, impactful, and intentional. His characters get their depth from distinct, justified motivations instead of from how many drinks they have before noon. Conway uses the large cast to build mystery around storylines, characters, and events we thought we understood well. These are characters that we can root for, with a conflict that is anything but straightforward. I can also say that Chris’s suicide on the railway at the end of Sandusky Burning is important and felt by the characters in the sequel, rather than only providing the conclusion with unnecessary shock value.
While Conway greatly improved on his writing, there is room for improvement in his story editing. The timeline is admittedly unclear and hard to follow. His entries from the Sandusky Register aren’t quite believable as journalism and detract from the reader’s ability to totally immerse in the narrative. His second Black character also seem to be more of a stereotype than his first, Mike. And his bilingual Romanians fail to convince me that they are bilingual — or Romanian, for that matter. That said, these are just a few literary pests — small, persistent annoyances that can’t be ignored but certainly don’t ruin the reading experience.
Getting Your Hands on a Copy
As a self-published novel, this book is not one that you will likely find in a physical store — like a Books-A-Million or Barnes & Noble. (And none of my electronic purchases went through except on Amazon.) So, Amazon is your best bet to get a physical copy of Sandusky Reckoning. It also may be the only copy available. Those that prefer an audiobook — like me — will be disappointed to find that the Sandusky Reckoning audiobook on Spotify is just the Sandusky Burning recording re-uploaded. I’m excited to see what Conway puts out next, and to see whether his potential as a novelist blossoms into mastery.
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