Books*Reviews*Etc: DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK by Terry Shames

4 STARS

DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK

A Samuel Craddock Mystery

Book Three

Terry Shames

INTRO (from Amazon)

Jarrett Creek is bankrupt. Gary Dellmore, heir apparent to the main bank, is dead, apparently murdered. Samuel Craddock thought he was retired but now he's been asked to return as police chief. Dellmore supposedly had a roving eye, although his wife says he was never serious about dallying. Still, Craddock wonders: Did the husbands and fathers of women he flirted with think he was harmless? What about his current lover, who insists that Dellmore was going to leave his wife for her?

Craddock discovers that Dellmore had a record of bad business investments. Even worse, he took a kickback from a loan he procured, which ultimately drove the town into bankruptcy. Many people had motive to want Dellmore dead.

Then the investigation turns up another crime. As Craddock digs down to the root of this mess, many in Jarrett Creek are left wondering what happened to the innocence of their close-knit community.

Series: Samuel Craddock Mysteries
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Seventh Street Books (October 7, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1616149965
ISBN-13: 978-1616149963

AUTHOR

Raised in the wild state of Texas, at age six, I began a life of crime, stealing money from my grandmother to buy what--Candy? Nail polish? A comic book? No. A notebook--beautiful blank pages, so I could write a story. A terrible liar, when my mother grilled me, I confessed and the notebook was confiscated. I've never lost my thrill when I face a blank page, ready for a story.

I financed my BA from the University of Texas and my MA from San Francisco State University with numerous jobs--waitress, maid, assistant to a notorious law professor, computer programmer/analyst and real estate agent. But I was always writing--before and after work, and sometimes even at lunch.

With my son off to college in 2005, I redoubled my effort to find success as a writer. Last fall my book found a happy home with Seventh Street Books/Prometheus for my series set in the fictional town of Jarrett Creek, Texas, featuring ex-Chief of Police Samuel Craddock. The first book, A KILLING AT COTTON HILL, was released July 16, 2013. The second, THE LAST DEATH OF JACK HARBIN will be out in January 2014. I am hard at work on the third in the series.

REVIEW

Mismanagement, all because of former mayor Alton Coldwater left the town of Jarrett Creek bankrupt.Rusty Reinhardt, the new mayor, called for a meeting for an answer on how to pay the police force. Before the mayor could even get started, son of the bank's owner, Gary Dellmore completely took over the meeting.

Here the author left you wondering what in the world happened? Dellmore was found dead the next morning. Shot, outside the meeting place. That was just the beginning. Since the police force wasn't getting paid, they all quit. Another meeting at which Samuel Craddock, former police chief agreed he'd return for a dollar a year. The author leaves you with a lot of questions. Why would Craddock come back for a dollar a year? The only police force he had left was a part time officer, Bill Odum.

The author gave you many suspects to Gary's murder. His life was a mess. married and other women, bad money choices, and so much more.

Not only were there so many who may have wanted Gary dead, but Dellmore also.

The town was a failure and that forced Craddock to investigate further into the town and its people. The author wrote the book at a pace that made it an easy read and yet the reader could easily keep track of the characters and the events that were going on in this little town. My only fault I found was I should have read the first two books first. That would have introduced some of the characters and would have given me some background info on them and the town. The book was a good, suspenseful, mystery that may keep you up reading till all hours. There are so many questions to answer, murders to solve and people to question and wonder if they were part of it. How long will the town exist being DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK?

I was given a complimentary copy of DEAD BROKE IN JARRETT CREEK from the author, Terry Shames and Night Owl Reviews for my view of the book. No other compensation took place.

I would give this book 4 STARS.

BOOK ONE BOOK TWO