Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Reverend Brian Lucas has a secret his congregation in the Nine Mile Methodist Church knows nothing about, and he’d really like to keep it that way. But even his earth-shattering secret takes a backseat to what else is happening in his tiny hometown.

Murders usually do that.

Brian's “close friend,” Sam, is urging a resolution to their little problem, but Brian's brother, Boyd, the County Sheriff, is more caught up in chasing down a homicidal maniac who is slaughtering little old ladies.

When Brian's secret and Boyd's mystery run into each other head on, and Boyd's fifteen-year-old son, Jesse, gets involved, all hell breaks loose. Then a fourth death comes to terrify the town, and it is Brian who begins to see what is taking place in their little corner of the Corn Belt. But even for a Methodist minister, it will take more than prayer to set it right.

 

Book Review

"In a minute, he would rap at my door, and another day of lies would begin. Lies to the world around us, not to each other. Yet somewhere deep in the back of my mind, back where the guilt was blackest, I had begun to suspect even our truths were lies. They had become a way of life, you see. Those lies. I could only wonder how long Sam would continue to abide us living them."

I didn't really like Brian very much in the beginning. I understood him, but I didn't like him. I understood how his very small town was absolutely everything to him. A small farming community with wholesome values, simple lives, and a strong sense of family. I understood why he came back there to be the town's Methodist minister, and I understood what that meant to him. I didn't like him because he hurt Sam every time he rejected him, subtly or not. I empathized with Sam wanting to leave and go somewhere they could be together. And again, I understood Brian's reticence. But I didn't like it.

The horror of the murders is just that. A true horror. Each of these women is murdered in a vicious, disgusting manner, with the killer posing their bodies after the fact. I'll admit the author has a gruesome imagination. Brian's brother, Boyd, is the county sheriff, and he's got nothing. No motive, no evidence, no nothing. Bumpkis, as the people of Nine Mile would say. Then there's a reprieve, at least from the murders, and it's during this time that Brian discovers what Sam and his aunt have known. Jesse, Brian's nephew, and his best friend Kyle have been best  friends since they were small boys, and it appears they've followed in Brian and Sam's footsteps, falling in love. And then Kyle's dad disappears, and signs indicate the murderer is back.

This sleepy little town with its simple, plain people and wholesome values had harbored a sociopath gone unseen by everyone until it was too late. I was in absolute shock when the author revealed the murderer to me. I couldn't believe it. What was even more profound was the resolution and the ending. John Inman has completely blown me away by 'Sunset Lake'. I can not begin to recommend it enough, especially for lovers of mystery, suspense, and drama.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook, print and audio
Length	Novel, 320 pages/117462 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	08-July-2015
Price	$6.99 ebook, $17.99 paperback, $17.99 bundle, $24.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/sunset-lake-by-john-inman-684-b