Locke and Key,"Welcome to Lovecraft" written by Joe Hill and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez

As of late my interest in reading books has been a zero but my son-in-law recommend this graphic novel, a series he has been enjoying and thought I might like it. Locke and Key is also a comic book series.

At first I was confused with the beginning of the story as it traveled between the present and the past but as I read the graphic novel, I started liking the story and the characters.

I'll not give out too much of the plot away but it starts out with the murder of Rendell, a father of the main 3 characters, on the family vacation to Mendocino, California.   Ty is the eldest who is lamenting over the fact that he tried to kill in self defense the one of the two murderers of his father, then there's Kelsey who hid away with their younger brother Bode, on the roof of the cabin scared out of her mind.  Bode seems oblivious to to violence that had happened to his family but we find out differently as the story unfolds. The Molly is the wife and mother who also fought back with an axe to the head of the intruders is in terrible shape after all the violence that has happened to her family so she uses alcohol as a way of forgetting.

The family moves from California to Lovecraft, Massachusetts into the Locke's family home. Each person is trying to recover from the ordeal of Summer on their own.  Bode is the most inquestive of the three Locke children and finds a key, so spend days trying to find the door to unlook. As this is happening the children are starting the year in new schools, Ty and Kelsey in high school and Bode in grade school.

Bode eventually finds the door and upon entering it becomes a ghost who can travel throughout the house. He also befriends an echo in the well house, more like a being who later on in the story we find out who this really is.

This series is not for the young, it's definitely an adult comic with the violent depictions of the storyline. The graphics aren't overly detailed but I wouldn't say the book was beautifully drawn with the muted colors but it does set the tone of the plot. There are 4 books with another to be released in hardback soon.

Joe Hill comes from a literary family, his father is Stephen King.  His work is different then his father's but I think you King fans will enjoy this series.