Iris B Burnham
When a dozen rambunctious teenagers from a special needs private school are assigned to a residential mental health institution for their community service, fear, confusion, and pathos give way to trust, empathy, respect and self confidence in Iris B. Burnham’s novel, Some Pardoned, Some Punished.The youngsters’ initial tasks included distributing afternoon refreshments, joining the patients in board games, and accompanying the Silent Man as he transverses the facility’s walled garden. However these innocuous assignments become fraught with uneasiness when a patient is discovered missing at the same time their zealous, young teacher and foreign exchange student do not return after a visit to the institution.Instead of abandoning their assignment, the students are determined to stick with the patients in order to glean enough information for their teacher and sometimes sleuth, Adie Bea Chalk (aka AhBeC), to unravel their clues and expose the truth.Some Pardoned, Some Punished is a cozy mystery immersed in the world of special education and mental health. The teachers are tasked with meeting their students’ often unrealistic demands while enlisting them in solving the mystery at hand. The youngsters’ reactions often brim with teenage humor, anger and love that must be tempered by the adults as they help them recognize the gray areas between black and white.Some Pardoned, Some Punished will entertain readers who not only enjoy a good puzzle, but are curious about educating an often overlooked student population. The story is narrated by various voices, each distinctly offering their perspective of the events as they unfold.
