Radiant Night

An explosion near Fallujah leaves Marine Ludwig Mason, the hero of Lohier’s uneven first novel, the sole survivor of his squad. While recovering in the hospital, he becomes addicted to pain medicine. When he returns home to Philadelphia, where his wife, Charlotte, and toddler son, Sam, have been waiting for him, Ludwig, who has PTSD, falls apart: he cheats on Charlotte, is unable to find gainful employment, and seeks oblivion in the bottle. Eventually, he lands a lucrative job when the nurse who cared for him directs him to Connecticut, where an old woman known only as Mrs. S. hires Ludwig to track down a rare tarot deck that contains 23, rather than 22, major arcana cards. Ludwig’s lack of any relevant investigative skills makes it hard to suspend disbelief in the MacGuffin story line. Readers will readily sympathize with Ludwig, but will wish that Lohier had kept his focus on his lead’s psychological struggles. (Sept.)