Corruption's Child by J. R....

Corruption's Child

by J. R. Lindermuth

Crime/Mystery/Suspense

Whiskey Creek Press, 2008

Trade Paperback, 234 pages

ISBN 1-60313-219-8

***** Highly Recommended.

I'm adding J. R. Lindermuth to my list of favorite authors.

Review by Douglas Quinn, Author of Blue Heron Marsh, etal (www.douglasquinn.com).

In his third "Sticks" Hetrick novel, Corruption's Child, Lindermuth takes us back to life in the small rural Pennsylvania town of Swatara Creek. While billed as a "Sticks" Hetrick novel, in fact, there is an ensemble cast of recurring characters. The author draws the reader into their day to day lives as the characters interact with one another and, at the same time, try their best to do their job of dealing with the unsavory underbelly of peaceful small town and rural America.

There is Aaron Brubaker, the current police chief who is insecure in the job he inherited from Sticks and, much to his consternation, has to lean on Sticks' expertise when it comes to criminal investigations. There is Flora Vastine, rookie cop and the only female on the Swatara Creek police force, who has to fight for respect as a bonafide officer of the law. Flora is now an item with Harry Minnich, a veteran of the force who brings a history of other women to their relationship. This is my second visit to Swatara Creek and I've become heavily invested in Lindermuth's characters.

In Corruption's Child, a girl is found dead, antiques are being stolen from Amish homes, during which an elderly Amish man is attacked and later dies, money is missing from the police department's evidence room, an illegal rave is raided at an abandoned building and a misguided Amish girl becomes mixed up in the unfamiliar world of the "English." Are these isolated events or are they, in some unfathomable way, interconnected? The author deftly leads both his interesting ensemble of characters and the reader through an intricate maze of mystery and suspense to the exciting conclusion.

I highly recommend Corruption's Child and am adding J. R. Lindermuth to my list of favorite authors. Visit J. R. Lindermuth at http://jlind11,tripod.com.

Note: Be sure to read and comment on Douglas Quinn's intervew of J. R. "John" Lindermuth here on Gather.