Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Tears of the Mountain-John Addiego

Tears of the Mountain
John Addiego
Unbridled, Sep 7 2010, $25.95
ISBN: 9781609530068

The townsfolk of Santa Rosa, California celebrate the centennial Independence Day. Among the people attending is Jeremiah McKinley who looks forward to spending time with his family and friends even as he muses over his past starting with the deadly trek decades ago from Missouri to Sonoma County.

However, the day of rejoicing takes a nasty turn when someone poisons Senator Morris in his hotel room. The law arrests Jeremiah’s innocuous mentor Professor Elijah Applewood. Making matters worse, Jeremiah, worried for his friend, finds his family has vanished even as notes begin to appear everywhere threatening him. When the Professor vanishes, the law arrests Jeremiah for abetting his escape. He must prove his innocence, find his missing family and friend, and uncover who the guilty person is before he is hung by the law.

This is a fascinating Americana tale as seen though the eyes of Jeremiah who has witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly in America yet retains his hope for the future especially for his family and friends that life will be better for them. Although the support cast feels somewhat stereotyped, readers will enjoy Jeremiah, who lives up to Three Dog Night’s opening line in Joy to the World. His action-packed amateur sleuth rave is one step ahead of a lynching as Tear of the Mountain is a wonderful western thriller.

Harriet Klausner

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