To Whom It May Concern

By Bob MacKenzie
$0.99 Rating: Not yet rated.
Published: May 20, 2012
Words: 3,665 (approximate)
Language: English
ISBN: 9780968542279

Short description

Spontaneous human combustion and the idea that it passes from generation to generation has long fascinated me, as has magic and the supernatural. In a coal-blackened back shed, when I was six or seven, I saw a girl of about twelve do simple magic, passing her hand through a candle's flame and having her pet crow do tricks. Later, these elements came together and I wrote “To Whom it May Concern.”

Extended description

“To Whom It May Concern” is an exploration of the concept of spontaneous human combustion and the idea that there may be a genetic factor that is passed from generation to generation.

The subject of spontaneous human combustion has long fascinated me, as has magic and the supernatural. From a young age, I was also reading about out of body and near-death experiences.

When I was about six or seven, I met a young girl aged about twelve who had a large pet crow. In a coal-blackened back shed, she had the crow do tricks and she performed rudimentary magic, including lighting a candle and passing her hand through the flame. I never saw this girl again. (Read more) “To Whom It May Concern” is an exploration of the concept of spontaneous human combustion and the idea that there may be a genetic factor that is passed from generation to generation.

The subject of spontaneous human combustion has long fascinated me, as has magic and the supernatural. From a young age, I was also reading about out of body and near-death experiences.

When I was about six or seven, I met a young girl aged about twelve who had a large pet crow. In a coal-blackened back shed, she had the crow do tricks and she performed rudimentary magic, including lighting a candle and passing her hand through the flame. I never saw this girl again.

At some point, all of these elements came together and I sat down to write “To Whom it May Concern.”

Review by Anne B. for Readers Favorite

Bob MacKenzie offers readers a short but very well-written mystery that sent chills down my spine. MacKenzie deftly sets the scene. He begins by describing the eat-in kitchen of a low rent apartment. I could see the sparsely furnished room, the pages of a letter scattered on the floor and the flame-scorched table. To the authorities the letter made little sense. As the reader approaches the end of the tale, their imagination takes over and they begin to envision how the table was scarred and why the pages of the letter are scattered across the floor.

MacKenzie’s style reminds me a bit of the Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock stories, which I grew up on. I loved those magnificent mysteries. The writing is low-keyed allowing the story to reveal itself. There is never a need for theatrics or sensationalism. This book is very short, but the writing is perfect, sounding almost poetic. This tale is plot driven and the characters are secondary. MacKenzie leaves the readers with a sense of uncertainty, fear of the unknown, and questioning their own reasoning. Not all writers are capable of leaving a reader disturbed by just mere words. This story tells the readers just enough to allow their imagination to take over.

I was not familiar with Bob MacKenzie or his writings. This is the first book of his I have read, and I am sure it won’t be the last.
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Tags

murder, mystery, fantasy, magic, science fiction, detective, fire, crow, lightning, disappearance, prairie, procedural, spontaneous human combustion

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