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Jun 02, 2019
“I’m an investigator. It’s my job to find out about things.” -John Puller, Army CID That quote well describes his motivations as we (the listeners) follow him through the twists and turns this story takes through the West Virginia hills. This tale opens with the surprisingly brutal murder of an entire family in a rural West Virginia town. John Puller becomes involved because the father of this family is Army brass. Along with local law enforcement – a female homicide detective with invaluable local knowledge and contacts – we follow his logical step-by-step uncovering of the facts that lead to this series of crimes. The military and police jargon add realism to the telling of this tale. This initially one-of murder spreads to seemingly unrelated deaths throughout the hamlet of Drake, WV which leads John Puller to investigate up the military chain of command calling in a favors and reaching out to unlikely associates to help in the solving of this mystery. The readers, Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy, use their voice talents to add even more intensity to the author’s great descriptions of action, characters, and place. The use of West Virginian accents also help pain the setting for the listener. The author adds depth to the characters in this story by shedding light on their softer side, ie. John Puller has a pet cat who he checks in on from time to time. He is also a very identifiable character in his relationship with his father suffering from dementia. This story has it’s share of tough guys with tender hearts trying to do the right thing. There is also a generous sprinkling of false leads…false clues…red herrings…planted clues, so if you’re a fan of misdirection that is all neatly tied up at the conclusion, this is the book for you. It’s a real treat the second time around, too! Anticipation of the upcoming action is sweet.