The Bottom Line: A small town crime thriller that hits all the right notes. Recommended for fans of Harlan Coben.
Reverend Neil Caldera’s calling takes him to Madison, Georgia, a small town graced with antebellum homes, delicious southern cuisine and a strong sense of community. But as Neil eventually discovers, the town has a dark underbelly. When the seasoned former detective is summoned to a grisly murder scene in a local barn, he makes a truly shocking discovery: a malevolent portrait of himself, painted in blood.
Just eighteen months being welcomed as the pastor of a local church, Neil struggles to understand the meaning of this macabre message. Is it a threat? Or is someone trying to frame him for murder?
Neil didn’t seek out life in Madison. He was recruited. After serving 13 years as a detective in the New York Police Department (NYPD), a person whose identity is still a mystery recommended him to lead the local flock. Neil can’t help but wonder whether the bizarre scene is somehow related to his killing of a crime boss’ daughter back in New York. After all, in the aforementioned barn scene, he receives an additional jolt when a person who appears to be an ally tells him, in reference to New York, “I know what you did.”
Author Steve Rush reveals the identity of the perpetrators near the very beginning of the novel, rendering Neil’s search for the truth – and the killers’ motives – as the book’s primary narrative tension. Given the complex interpersonal relationships within idyllic Madison, Rush creates a rich landscape for mystery in the tradition of Harlan Coben.
Neil – who is for a time a victim, an investigator and a suspect all at once – demonstrates exceptional forensic skills, yet struggles at times to see what’s right in front of him. His disposition rings true, as Neil is ultimately a broken outsider seeking healing through redemption. Rush’s portrayal of the well-meaning preacher with a troubled past is compelling, especially as the crimes become increasingly personal, and Neil’s past and present collide.
