Viral Xgressions: Tainted Souls, Hacked Spirits, Wretched Deals, and Flatlines (Whiskey House Trilogy Book 2) by Marc Lacy

Viral Xgressions (pronounced “transgressions”) is the second book of the Whiskey House Trilogy whose first book, Curse of the Whiskey House set the tone of the trilogy with a thunderous boom. Viral Xgressions picks right up where its predecessor left off with non-stop action, front to back drama, and “edge of your seat” anticipation of what’s taking place on the next page.

It is no mystery that Lazarus, Alabama truly needs Jesus. But with what went down at the whiskey house last spring, one would never hesitate to ask the question, “Why would Jesus even consider coming to Lazarus…period?” Lazarus Police Department and Hawthorne County Sheriff’s Office had their hands full with the cataclysm at the Hawthorne County Whiskey House. After having to deal with false prophets and violent death, a serious toll was taken on the Lazarus authorities and leadership. So by now all citizens of Lazarus and Hawthorne County definitely know, it’s not just an urban legend. “If you choose to enter the whiskey house, if you should ever come out, then your life will go south.” It doesn’t matter if a person is good natured, has good intentions, or is drama free.

Passage through the whiskey house produced a magnitude of tainting in the life of every bold soul who braved its interior. The misgivings of Mayor Samuel Justice have proven fatal as it was he who oversaw the treachery and deceit going on at the whiskey house. It was he who benefited financially as young men were drawn into that wicked whiskey house and losing their innocence.

Brock’s younger brother Pierre, and Brooklyn’s aunt, Destiny were the leading voices for their lost loved ones. The Taylors and Fontroys were practically at war with one another, naturally based on what happened to Brock and Brooklyn. Then, somehow, Pierre and Destiny fell in love. Together, they began to do what they could to quell the curse. Meanwhile, after having avoided the impact of all of the tragedy and mayhem, Mayor Justice was finally caught red handed and arrested. However, would this mean the curse would have officially ended? Well, not so fast, because according to the whiskey house prophecy, “If the seed shall live, three angels shall perish, and the children will be lost for generations to come. Plagued will be the land of the cursed seeds as one dead spirit roams.”

So welcome to present day Lazarus, Alabama. Back in the spring, if a person did not get murdered, violated, or incarcerated, they were immensely mentally impacted. Or in some regards, they may have been stricken with some sort of physical ailment. Either way, Lazarus and Hawthorne County have limped into the fall. And with severe budget issues, lack of leadership, and open wounds, one would have to assume that there would be many challenging days ahead for the area. Apparently, most people don’t seem to get it. When things happen in Lazarus, they occur at cataclysmic levels. If it seems like a curse, feels like a curse, and impacts like a curse, it’s probably a curse. However, in this day and age of “viral” occurrences, the last thing Lazarus needs is more transgressions running rampant through the city bearing semblance to that of an incurable virus.

Braxton Bradley a local paralegal, Pierre, Destiny, the Whiskey House Boys, and the former members of the Central Baptist Sisterhood managed to survive. They hold the key to putting an end to the vicious curse that originated in the whiskey house. But are they too war-torn and perhaps tainted to carry on? Or could Lucy, Black Abe’s lone surviving offspring assist in bringing an end to the curse? Maybe her boyfriend Romeo “Bo” Vega who just returned to Lazarus from Dallas, Texas could take a stab at it as well. One thing’s for certain, in Lazarus, Alabama, the devil does more wheeling and dealing than croupiers at a gambling casino.