Coming from an East coast fishing and crabbing community, I had to know how the same vocation played out on the other side of the U.S. I was pleased to see that crabbers and fishers are somewhat universal in their independent natures and love of their work.
Kindle Scout author Carrie Enge shines a fine light on small towns, on how the populace may seem fickle, on how the cops aren’t always on speaking terms with each other, and on how cases get solved. Her protagonist Dan Fields is far from the "up and coming" list on his force. Rather, he’s in the dog house, and when he gets assigned the case of the dead crabber, he gets way more oversight than he ever wanted.
In a nice twist, Dan, recently widowed, works to save his first serious girlfriend from a life in prison, when all of the town and his bosses think she’s the one who killed her brother the crabber. Though the crabber wasn’t a nice guy, Dan believes in justice for all and puts that need above his future as a law enforcement officer. Because of his passion for the truth, the case gets solved.
Another small town dynamic Enge got right was outsiders coming in and trying to make your place just like the one they left. Us small town folks like the way our towns are. Leave us to heck alone! Enge’s love for her adopted home state shines through her writing, a bright beacon of hope and respect.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews