40 years ago, Hank
Mitchell vanished while having some marriage trouble. His wife Sharon loved him,
as did his kids. They all believed he had just had enough, packed his bags, and
left town.
Instead, all this
time, he was part of the floor of a warehouse at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear
power plant. The years have passed and now the plant is decommissioned. As the
nuclear core sits unused and slowly cooling, the sire five miles south of
Brattleboro, Vermont is gradually changing as old structures and equipment are
removed. One of those structures is an old warehouse where the concrete pad,
the floor, was broken up slowly by way of jackhammer wielded by Nelson Smith.
Once he saw the skeletal hand, he had a good idea to stop and call it in. That
hand would ultimately lead to the remains of Hank Mitchell.
Joe Gunther and his
team at the Vermont Bureau of Investigations take over what had been a cold
missing person case as it is clearly a murder. A murder where many of those
involved at the time in Hank Mitchell’s life are deceased. Some are still
present to be interviewed through there really isn’t much to go on. Until the
inevitable happens and someone begins to try to cover up the mess.
While billed as the
latest Joe Gunter novel as they have for some time, “Presumption of Guilt” is
really about the team. They are a family at work and a family at home. As one
expects in this very good series, the read shifts through the various members
of the team displaying them at home at home and at work. This same technique is
used for the bad guys as well as everyone in between. While Joe and his team
work the case, their actions cause ripples that are dealt with by those other
characters outside of law enforcement. In turn, their actions cause ripples
back for the team. This effect continues throughout the book as the team
gradually solves the 40 year old murder case.
Presumption of Guilt: A Joe Gunther Novel is the latest in a long series of
books that began with Open Season. 27 books later, this
read is as entertaining as ever and well worth your time.
Presumption of Guilt: A Joe Gunther
Novel
Archer Mayor
Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Publishing
Group)
September 2016
ISBN# 978-1-250-06468-4
Hardback (eBook format also available)
305 Pages
$25.99
Material supplied by the good folks of
the Plano Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2016
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