Kirkus Review

In this debut cross-genre novel, a United States Army captain with psychic abilities faces both human and supernatural enemies in war-torn Afghanistan. Capt. Thomas Jett of the Army Reserve leaves his Houston law practice for a tour in Afghanistan. He's escaping literal ghosts at home, who are likely drawn to his budding psychic powers (so far, he can astrally project). Afghanistan is a definite change from America, with rocket attacks a regular occurrence and dust blanketing everything in a "sickly shade of beige." But the "metaphysical growth" Jett craves may lie in his new mission--investigate the village of Sugarbush, where multiple brutal murders have taken place. Some blame a jinni, an evil spirit. This is an ideal time for Jett to master what he's long fought to achieve--reaching "the fourth wall," a somewhat cryptic access point to the fifth dimension. Inspired by a missing soldier's SF--esque journal, Jett develops a strategy for somehow unlocking the universe's "mirror world." The resultant operation pits Jett and his allies against flesh-and-blood criminals along with inconceivable beings inside a perpetually confusing paranormal world. Some readers may question what in Petty's tale is genuinely happening, whether it's someone's hallucination or something more sinister. Even Jett, who narrates, is occasionally "lost in the illusion" and admits he "can't fully describe" abstract concepts like the fourth wall. Still, the author's writing pops with concise details, giving the story an unwavering momentum. Petty also deftly animates the tale's myriad notions with colorful, tangible analogies, such as Jett's equating an eerie "slow pulse" with a John Carpenter horror film score. Furthermore, the cast grounds the narrative with a series of memorable personalities, from Russian barber Yvonne to young local translator and resident jinnexpert Kochi. As Jett continues to evolve psychically, there should be plenty of material for a potential sequel to explore. A bizarre but entertainingly trippy tale of soldiers and paranormal creatures. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.