Billed as a Samuel
Craddock Mystery Prequel the latest read from author Terry Shames takes
readers back decades ago when a young Samuel Craddock came home to be police
chief of the small south Texas town, Jarret Creek. It is the mid-80s and the
city council wants a younger man to deal with the drug problem. A stint in the Air
Force as well as college wasn’t law enforcement experience or training, so the
county paid for Samuel to take a three month training course over in Austin.
As An
Unsettling Crime For Samuel Craddock opens, Samuel gets a call about a
very bad situation over in “darktown.” Known as the area where the African Americans
live, a tragedy has happened. In the wake of an overnight fire, a certain home
there is the scene of five deaths. The fire wasn’t totally responsible. At
least one of the victims was shot. It appears that quite possibly all of the
bodies are of kids.
Despite the fact the
case occurred inside the city limits of Jarret Creek, according to the John
Sutherland of the Texas Highway Patrol, he will be handling the case as he claims
they have jurisdiction. While that might be true, the more likely scenario is
for investigators from the legendary law enforcement agency in Texas, the Texas
Rangers to take over. Even when the Rangers arrive in the form of Curren Wills
and Luke Schoppe, Sutherland insists on handling the case his way.
Not only is
Sutherland arrogant and abusive, he is also clearly racist. It isn’t surprising
when Sutherland, ignoring Craddock, goes after the wrong man providing that he
also does not care one whit about anything other than clearing a case one way
or another. That drug problem Craddock was hired to deal with has its own
complications and will take a backseat to the more pressing problem of making
sure that an innocent man goes free.
Racism to varying
degrees is a constant undertone to this latest mystery. Readers are treated to
a different version of Jeanne, Craddock’s wife, as she is very much alive in
the read. Also clear are some of the issues that will define Craddock’s legacy
in the coming years.
For those new to the
series, it would make a lot of sense to begin with An Unsettling Crime for Samuel
Craddock. For those of us that have read all of the books, there is
plenty of mystery and character nuance to consider in this read. We get to learn
how it all began in this highly entertaining read. Prequels often don’t work,
but this one does from start to finish.
The series in order
of publication and review:
A Killing at Cotton Hill: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 1/11/14)
The
Last Death Of Jack Harbin: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 1/25/14)
Dead
Broke In Jarret Creek: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 4/9/15)
A Deadly Affair At Bobtail Ridge: A Samuel Cradock Mystery (reviewed 4/22/15)
A Deadly Affair At Bobtail Ridge: A Samuel Cradock Mystery (reviewed 4/22/15)
The
Necessary Murder Of Nonie Blake: A Samuel Craddock Mystery (reviewed 4/19/16)
An Unsettling Crime For Samuel
Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel (you are here)
An Unsettling Crime For Samuel
Craddock: A Samuel Craddock Mystery Prequel
Terry Shames
Seventh Street Books
Jan 2017
ISBN# 978-1-63388-209-6
Paperback (also available in eBook
format)
270 Pages
$15.95
Material supplied by the Plano Public
Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2017
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