The Pinebox Vendetta by Jeff Bond is the story of the Gallaghers and Pruitts, two families that have been feuding since the Revolutionary War. Jonas Pruitt and Ephraim Gallager quarreled over a pinebox, the contents which were unknown. At one time they were friends and associates but they vowed that they would never be friends again.

The twenty-year reunion is fast approaching and with members of the two families, Owen Gallagher who is hoping to be the Democratic-run for President and Rock Pruitt, a nasty man who wants to reclaim his reputation. Twenty years ago his roommate was killed and the case never solved.

Sam Lessing will be there at the twenty-year reunion with her daughter Joss, who is looking at colleges. She is going so she can Zoom the reunion, as many people that she can film but mostly the Pruitts and Gallaghers. She wants to film a documentary of the two families. While there she and Joss find something that could knock the socks of one of the family members.

Sam is having problems of her own, her marriage is falling apart and she has feelings for Jamie Gallagher who has been living in Africa for the last 10 years. He is back for the reunion also but wants nothing to do with the feud. Sam and Jamie find themselves embroiled in the feud anyway.

What I liked, I enjoyed the writing and I am glad to see that The PineBox Vendetta is the first in a series because I would love to read more about the Pruits and Gallaghers. Digging deeper into the family dynamics. I think that the author portrayed each character appropriately to the story.

What I did not like, Rock Pruitt, I found him to be a very nasty man, I think that you will determine that also once you start reading this book. No spoilers here! Read this book you should, if you like a good mystery/whodunnit. Well written and mysteriously enough to keep the reader wanting more. I have read another one of Jeff Bond's books and thoroughly enjoyed it. ( )

In The Pinebox Vendetta, author Jeff Bond weaves a riveting political thriller that centers around the centuries long generational political feud between two powerful families, the Pruitts and the Gallaghers. Think Hatfields and McCoys, then add in the political element, and it all boils down to the cut-throat pursuit of power, with the Pruitt-Gallagher rivalry becoming widely known as the pinebox vendetta.

The twenty-year reunion for the Yale Class of 1996 reignites the Pruitt-Gallagher rivalry, setting them on a collision course that will rock the weekend festivities. Rock Pruitt and Jamie Gallagher were part of the Class of 1996, and thus the families' rivalry continued during their time at Yale. Fellow classmate and friend of Jamie's, WNYC Public Radio producer Samantha Lessing is attending the reunion with her fourteen-year-old daughter Joss. While showing Joss around Yale, she becomes interested in pursuing a documentary on the Pruitt-Gallagher pinebox vendetta, and the unsolved cold-case murder mystery that Rock Pruitt had been involved in during his freshman year. What Samantha doesn't realize is that the reunion weekend is the perfect setting for the Pruitt-Gallagher rivalry reopening the pandora box that is known as the pinebox vendetta, and everyone will get caught up in the feud as collateral damage.

The Pinebox Vendetta is a multi-layered and fast-paced political thriller that is masterfully interwoven with intrigue, secrets, deception, hidden agendas, political posturing, plots, threats, corruption, cover-ups, and a cold-case murder mystery, that easily engages the reader to follow along as the Yale Class of 1996 reunion weekend unfolds.

This is an exciting and dramatic story that will keep the reader guessing as Rock, Jamie, and Sam's individual plans for the reunion weekend ultimately reveals the dark side of politics, power, and manipulation, that will leave no one unscathed. The complexity of the characters' different personalities were intriguing, but I must admit that I thought they all weren't very likeable except for Joss, and I absolutely loathed Rock from beginning to end, he was a despicable excuse of a human being.

As a fan of political thrillers, I really enjoyed how the author transported the reader into the fascinating history of the Pruitt-Gallagher rivalry, and how their political feud continued from generation to generation. When you add in the intrigue, drama, and an unsolved murder mystery, you get a story with an explosive ending that will leave the reader dumbfounded.

The Pinebox Vendetta is the first book in The Pruitt-Gallagher Saga Series.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.

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