Fractured Legacy

Charles B. Neff

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

In Pacific Northwest mountains, the clash of an old family legacy, tribal land rights, and a marriage in trouble result in a suspicious death, threatening the lives of those who try to discover its causes.

Sara Winter has reached a crisis point in her Cascade Adventures business and also with her husband Jeff. Bebe Sorensen is distressed to find her protected life as a local historical archivist invaded. Police detective Bill McHugh tries to sort out a suspicious death, and rapidly finds that big business and political interests across the mountains in Seattle are closely following his progress. The twin Tomson brothers, heirs to a valued mountain property, are increasingly the focus of the investigation. And everyone involved in it finds that there are just as many forces hindering as helping the discovery of what is at the heart of it all.

Review by Molly Martin (300914) Rating (9/10)

Review by Molly Martin
Rating 9/10
Charles B. Neff’s Fractured Legacy opens on a Monday, March 15 as Bebe Sorensen, local historical archivist, who is getting ready to mount the outside flight of stairs of History House heard an unexpected noise followed by the advent of a murky figure, mask covering much of his face, as well as his holding a lengthy cylindrical object advanced.

That accidental meeting with Herb, custodian, wholly intimidated Bebe, Executive Director of the Swiftwater and Portal Historical Society so critically that she began her predictable check of the museum stunned and apprehensive. All seemed satisfactory. Nonetheless something nagged at her. At the foot of the staircase leading to the third story, Bebe noted a piece of paper on the floor. She supposed it might have been torn from a computer print-out, odd. Tomson family records was typed on the fragment.

Opening the door to the storage room, Bebe soon observed the usually tidy files were now in some disorder. Whenever possible Bebe shied from interaction with others concerning most matters; under the circumstances, with her being the director and all, Bebe did feel obliged to request that a police officer be sent over to help evaluate the situation.

From that commencement; the chronicle moves rapidly onward wherein a chary death filled with jeopardy for those committed to learning the solution to what may be a homicide.

In the Pacific Northwest Cascades Mountains misfortune is developing in the midst of acrimony centred on an old family legacy. A troubled marriage in addition to contesting regarding ancestral land rights, compounded with a suspicious death, which looms over the lives of those endeavouring to decide the cause only adds to the problem.

A home-grown business having problems keeping afloat financially, siblings who are more than simply disagreeing with one another, tribal connections, a surreptitious cabin deep in the woods, a blank envelope jam-packed with vital official papers, and even the potential for a new and unanticipated liaison; all of this and more are profoundly involved in the anecdote.

I found characters to be well fleshed, credible, some are not completely likeable, on the other hand that is what we find in life in general. Situations and locales are chock-full with dynamism, discourse is realistic, convincing and set down in satisfactory manner. Movement of the narrative grips the reader at the inception, clenches reader attentiveness with a powerful grasp from opening lines to the last paragraphs and leaves the reader with a sentiment of a saga jam-packed with twists and turns, major themes and minor is one well done.

Fractured Legacy is writer Neff’s 6th in a succession of works set in the Cascades; a milieu he knows well. I like a multifaceted story line in which a red herring or two hovers to perhaps move the reader awry, and demands the reader pay close attention, dig deep and remain involved with the narrative. This is not a bubbly, read in the afternoon before tea tale, it is a sit on the porch, book in hand and savor the afternoon, account.

Tension swiftly begins, builds and is decided in satisfactory custom in this well-constructed thriller.

Excellent read, happy to recommend for those who enjoy a good who dunnit.
Molly Martin (30th September 2014)