The Edge of Lost Paperback – November 24, 2015

Needed a book to read while on flight to destinations; enjoyed reading to kill time by.

As a reader, finding a new remarkable storyteller is a joy. “The Edge of Lost” is the second novel written by Kristina McMorris that I’ve read and I’m pleased she happened along. Her work is compelling and moving, and her research into background material is remarkable. Research is essential if I’m to enjoy historical fiction.Shanley Keagan is a product of early 1900 Ireland. Life is not easy and early tragedies send him to the United States where, as a precocious 12-year old he begins making pennies in the dives and pubs of New York City. He works as a comedian and vaudevillian performer, getting quiet snickers and some limited notoriety. An Italian family takes him in to replace a son that died and he becomes a family member with the parents, their daughter, and son. He soon becomes Tommy Capello, being informally given a deceased boy’s name by the family.A crime leader who appreciates his work in the club also informally adopts him. The bad guy also employs his pseudo brother, who rises to be a high-powered capo.Family turmoil and unfortunate association with underworld figures eventually land Tommy on the Rock of Alcatraz Prison in San Francisco Bay. He has settled in for his long sentence when he discovers an escape has been planned for him and, because he has befriended the young daughter of a brutal prison guard he decides to attempt it, taking her along. That’s it for disclosing the storyline.McMorris does a masterful job of studying family relationships, the disturbing association of criminals, the culture of prison environment, and behavior of the upstanding when caught up in unsavory situations. The characters in her novel are realistic, complex, and driven by human behavior to which we can all relate. The pacing and continuity of her story never becomes too complex to weaken the reality. One must continue to read, ignoring other more pressing issues such as eating and sleeping.I strongly recommend that you pick up her books, settle in for an entertaining read, and return to your normal living pattern when the reading is completed. You’ll have much to contemplate.Schuyler T WallaceAuthor of TIN LIZARD TALES

In 1919, a 12-year-old Irish boy named Shan Keagan sets sail for the United States in search of his long-lost American sailor/father. After his mother died, Shan had been left in the care of his uncle, who accompanied him on the voyage, but who unfortunately died just as the ship pulled into New York. In order to make it past customs without being turned over to an orphanage, Shan pleads with an Italian family to pretend he is with them. When they agree, Shan's identity becomes Tommy Capello. The pretense was intended to be a temporary measure, but Shan/Tommy becomes an integral part of the family. He bonds with the family's son and daughter as if they are real siblings. He builds an especially close relationship with older "brother" Nick. The Capellos are a hard-working family, so Shan is expected to contribute to the household income. At first he uses his extraordinary vaudeville skills of singing, telling funny stories and performing impressions at a night club, but the family decides that a speak easy is no place for a young man, so he joins Mr. Capello in the plumbing business.An early part of the story follows Shan and his adoptive family for four years. Author Kristina McMorris paints an enjoyable tableau of family life for the working-class Italian immigrants. While they are usually happy, events occur which alienate Nick from the rest of the family, especially from his father and Shan. Then the action skips to 1935. In a classic case of "wrong place. wrong time," Shan unwittingly gets involved in a bank robbery and ends up at the infamous prison of Alcatraz. He struggles just to get by and serve his time. His singing talents are discovered, and he is asked by the warden to perform at special occasions for important outside visitors, such as congressmen. Shan becomes a trusted prisoner, who is allowed to work at the warden's garden house. There he surreptitiously and dangerously befriends a young daughter of a prison guard.Shan begins to receive strange, coded messages that could be interpreted to imply that he will be the subject of a prison break, which is the last thing he wants to do. The punishment for such a move could be death (shot on sight) or solitary confinement in the dark, cold dungeons with only bread and water. Extra time would be added to his sentence, and all privileges would be removed. The rest of the book deals with the mystery behind the messages. There were some major surprises, which I dare not reveal in a review.I admire the research Kristina McMorris did to make this story sound real whether the setting was Ireland, New York, or Alcatraz. I gained an appreciation for the immigrant experience and learned a lot I didn't know about the plight of prisoners on Alcatraz Island. It is a very satisfying read, which I highly recommend.

I enjoyed the book all the places it took me and all the people along the way. A great story about immigrants and family.

The beginning is captivating. Then it got tedious. Then once again a captivating story emerged. Excellent except for the somewhat dull transition in middle

If you have visited this prison before reading this book it becomes more real, the basement cells with no light and double doors blocking all sunlight are really depressing. To be sent here for a day would be bad enough but to spend years here would be impossible. The whole place is cold and dank, with very small cells, to loose humanity would be very easy. Shan showed his true decent self when he cared more about others even in this horror of a place. Although the story was tedious at times it picked up enough to make me keep reading to the end.