By Doug Magee

http://dougmagee.com/

Plot

Sean Collins left Braden, Pennsylvania at a bad time in his life. He was an alcoholic, his marriage was falling apart, and one of his friends, Carol, had been brutally murdered. Ten years later, he has recovered from an accident that nearly took his life. He’s also remembering pieces of his past and those pieces are telling him he may have killed Carol. Returning to Braden, he finds his former wife, Risa, married to a high school friend, Alan Benson. Benson is in the middle of a hot campaign for Congress. The lives of Alan, Sean, and Risa are about to change when more of the truth is revealed.

I like the premise at the beginning but as I continued to read, it lost energy.

Characters

Risa Tuvic: runs a bar/restaurant her father opened, thin, sandy hair, green eyes, fifteen year old son plays football, on her second marriage, cheerleader in high school, attended Allegheny College

Sean Collins: Late 30s, Risa’s first husband, alcoholic, faded scar on right temple, father committed suicide on the day he graduated Penn State, former substitute teacher, born in Philadelphia, plays piano, likes jazz

Alan Benson: Risa’s current husband, father was in politics, running for Congress, attended Yale, friends with both Sean and Risa in high school, played football in high school

Average characters with no excitement to them. There is also a reporter who is featured in several scenes but there is no background information on him.

Dialogue

Soap opera like.

Writing

There’s no energy in this story. The action scenes are quick and the final climactic scene lacks punch. Lots of profanity, especially by Alan. Too much of Sean wandering or running around in the woods. The ‘surprise twist’ was too pat and would have been more enjoyable if more clues were scattered throughout.

My ranking:

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