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Loading... Every Hidden Fear: A Skeet Bannion Mystery (Skeet Bannion Series)by Linda Rodriguez
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"Skeet's Cherokee grandmother has come to live with her and her teenage ward Brian, and Skeet is still trying to adjust to the change while also keeping the peace on the local college campus. Then Ash Mowbray, a bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, comes back to Brewster as a wealthy developer, pushing plans to build a shopping mall on the outskirts of town that will destroy the town square businesses. The town council is split on his proposal, and emotions are running high. Mowbray makes things worse by announcing that he is the real father of the high school athlete Noah Steen, having left Noah's mother, Chelsea, pregnant as a teenager when he fled town after high school. Chelsea and her husband Norman are horrified that Mowbray has publicized that Norman is not Noah's father and afraid that he will steal their beloved son from them. Noah is shocked to learn the truth of his parentage and furious with Mowbray. It's not long before Mowbray turns up murdered with Noah as the prime suspect. Brian and Noah's girlfriend Angie turn to Skeet to find the murderer and save their friend. Every Hidden Fear is a thrilling and emotionally-resonant mystery, told by a masterful writer in full command of her craft"-- No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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Back in the day he had been what would now be termed “a troubled teen.” Unfortunately for many of the residents of Brewster, Missouri the return of Ash means huge problems. Secrets long thought buried in the best of families as well as the worst are now vulnerable to the light of day as Ash has come back home seeking payback for so many slights and flat out wrongs. There is a scale to everything, but for Ash nearly everyone is guilty of horrendous crimes. On a daily, if not minute by minute basis, while publicly telling secrets he is also unleashing hatred and scorn on everyone in his wake.
That appalling public behavior wasn’t the plan wealthy investor Walter Lynch had in mind when he teamed up with Ash. The plan was to get city approval to build a new shopping mall in the a wealthy area of Brewster. If the mall is actually built it will probably destroy the small businesses on the town square. It is certainly understandable why some, faced with the almost sure death of a business they have worked their entire life building, would take the threat of a new mall very personally.
The battle lines have been drawn hard between those who want the mall and the potential economic growth it could bring and those who believe it will ruin the quality of life in this small university town located twelve miles from Kansas City. The last thing those opposing the new development want is for Brewster to become nothing more than another bedroom community for their monolithic neighbor. Walker Lynch and his hired gun Terry Heldrich are still an unwelcome presence as far as Skeet is concerned. The behavior of Ash who has escalated the anger on both sides by the second with his insults and poisonous comments has made the battle even more personal for many.
Ash has good reason for at least some of his anger. He came from a rough upbringing and knows very well how far his parents had to go to survive. He also knows how some of the women in town sought him out more for the bedroom possibilities than for his skills on the football field or mowing their yard when he was a teen in high school. Everywhere he goes Ash is vocal about his allegations concerning the past conduct of many in the town while also making sure that everyone knows his intent, in the name of progress, is to tear down the old power structure.
With Ash around nothing is safe and nothing is sacred. That means many locals have multiple good reasons to want Ash dead and not just the parents of a teenager named Noah whom Ash has loudly and very publicly proclaimed is his son much to the shock of Chelsea and her husband Norman. Before they can really deal with their shock and the implications to their son and their family, Ash is found dead on a nearby golf course and Noah is the primary suspect. For many, he is the only suspect as their minds are made up that he did it even if he swears he didn’t.
Thanks to the wisdom of her Cherokee grandmother and her own grudging unwillingness to leave a case outside of her jurisdiction alone, Skeet Bannion starts digging into what really happened the night Ash was murdered. Once she starts, she soon learns far more than she ever wanted to about many of the folks involved while hunting for a very clever killer.
Cherokee heritage and the often very painful legacy of secrets have long been hallmarks of this excellent series. They are present in great detail here in this complex and multilayered novel. Third in a series that must be read in order due to ongoing character and secondary storyline development, Every Hidden Fear by Linda Rodriguez is deeply nuanced and rich in details as it moves along steadily for nearly 300 pages. Continued character development caused by the passage of time and previous events is always present in this book and series as is the meaning of family in all its many forms. The mystery itself is complex with many facets and numerous suspects with several of them among Skeet’s friends. Every Hidden Fear is another very good read from an award winning author and a book well worth your time.
Every Hidden Fear: A Skeet Bannion Mystery
Linda Rodriguez
http://www.lindarodriguezwrites.blogspot.com
Minotaur Books (A Thomas Dunne Book)
http://www.minotaurbooks.com
May 6, 2014
ISBN# 978-1-250-04915-5
Hardback (also available as an e-book)
296 Pages
$26.99
Material supplied by the author in exchange for my objective review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2014 ( )