Charles B. NeffRecensioni

A fractured marriage, fractured mind and fractured community come together in Charles Neff’s Fractured Legacy; and a cool mystery, set in evocative Pacific Northwest locations, ensues, exploring different separations, betrayals and dreams.

The author pulls readers convincingly into different points of view, portraying a woman on the edge of society just as convincingly as a man combining his loyalties and heritage. “Everyone has fears,” Bebe remembers. “... get to know your own, and you’ll be very good at recognizing what other people are afraid of.” Some characters might exploit their neighbor’s fear, some seek to conquer fear in different ways, and others have yet to learn. Fear—real human everyday fear—might indeed seem to be another character in this novel, just as the beautiful Northwest scenery is. Not just a feeling; it’s an enemy to conquer, or a wise friend to watch.

Fractured Legacy combines intriguing murder mystery, ecological exploration, psychology, a touch of local politics, and great characters into a powerful literary tale of life, love and lasting memories. It holds the reader’s interest from start to end, inspires and uplifts even as it threatens, and leaves its characters lingering in the mind long after the reading’s done.

Disclosure: I was given a free copy and I offer my honest review.

The ambitions of a jealous, maniacal entrepreneur join tender romance and political trench warfare to give Fractured Legacy its powerful emotional punch. Labeled a thriller and set in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, "Legacy" doesn’t boast the heart-pumping suspenseful denouement of many thrillers, but instead concludes in equal parts romance and realism. Its thrills derive from the drama of underfunded and less-powerful forces taking on the high and mighty. Its touching and hopeful nature flows from an unexpected chance at love between two very unlikely people. These characteristics take nothing away from this book’s thrilling nature; in fact, they definitely enhance it.

In one thread, Jeff and Sara Winter’s marriage appears doomed: since injuring his hip, Jeff isn’t able to help run their outdoor adventure business, and sharp, decisive Sara has lost patience. She meets powerful businessman Grant Tomson, with whom she begins to hatch a plan for a new venture, and doesn’t worry about its possible effect on Jeff. However, this all occurs after the apparently accidental death of Grant’s twin Will, and the halting, unproductive police investigation that follows. The most intriguing character here, and the one with the most intimate and sympathetic story is Bebe Sorensen, curator of a museum in town, who helps the police investigation, and discovers a world of romantic possibility in the process. Some citizens suspect Grant of subterfuge and much worse, and resolve to halt his development ambitions for an idyllic wilderness lake, and his reaction to this threat is a main driver in the story.

I try never to speculate on other work that an author may undertake, or what he or she intends, but Fractured Legacy has the definite feel of something to be followed up with a sequel. The first-blush realization of the nature of the businessman/developer has not resulted in anything but dark suspicion. No building has proceeded in the wilderness, no land-grab has occurred, and romantic realization for one couple and possible rapprochement for another are still to come. If there is a follow-up volume, I definitely want it, because I definitely want a chance to see these characters through.

This book has outstanding pace, exceptionally realistic political infighting, and a highly appealing budding romance. Of all things in a thriller, I expected only the pacing; I did not bargain for the other pleasures. Indeed, this book has a great deal to offer the discerning reader, and I for one am not ashamed or embarrassed to hope for a sequel. Rewarding, crisply done, top flight. Highly recommended.

http://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2014/08/fractured-legacy-by-charles-b-neff.ht...

Set in a small town in Washington state and centering on the murder of a local, Dire Salvation by Charles B. Neff offers an entertaining read for mystery lovers. The story takes place in the town of Swiftwater and Portal. We follow the lives of several inhabitants over the course of two weeks, hour by hour. With each subsequent time change, we switch to a new character. It sounds more complicated than it is, but it is a nice literary trick for keeping the suspense taut and for burrowing into the lives of the individual characters. The murder may have involved a new designer drug called Salvation, the name relating to the plant salvia. Salvia, like peyote, produces strong hallucinatory feelings once consumed.

Implicated in the murder is one Lonny Ogden, a mentally disabled individual with a history of trouble with the law. He does occasional work at the Swiftwater Fish Hatchery and is Calla Ogden's brother. Calla is a social worker and has to balance taking care of Lonny with the other cases she's assigned. On the law enforcement side, there is Greg Takarchuk, a police officer, and the detectives Sam Espy and Bill McHugh. McHugh thinks Jason Ferris, a computer guru, may be a prime suspect in the murder, but he has only suspicions, not conclusive proof. Finally, there is Phil Bianchi, a former journalist, mayor of Swiftwater and Portal, and a recent widower. These disparate characters get thrown into a collision course as each seeks to divine who is behind this murder. Neff integrates the Native American stories of Calla and Lonny into the overall mystery, understanding that the key to unlocking the identity of the killer lay in their beliefs.

The combination of using the time stamp with rotating point of view characters and the small town Washington state location raise this novel about the garden-variety police procedural. This is the second book I've revewed for Bennett & Hastings and I continue to be impressed with the quality of fiction from this regional publisher. In a field where sameness sells, it's great to see a publisher take a chance with this gifted storyteller.

Out of 10: 8.5,or 9.0 for mystery fans

http://www.cclapcenter.com/2012/08/book_review_dire_salvation_by_.html

or:

http://driftlessareareview.com/2012/08/10/cclap-fridays-dire-salvation-by-charle...

In "Dire Salvation" Charles B. Neff uses straightforward, punchy language to unroll a suspenseful yarn of drugs, mental illness, and revenge in central Washington state. In it, he succeeds in gaining our sympathies for his characters, and helps us see, and root for, every shape that salvation may take for them. It’s a genuine pleasure to read this direct, businesslike book, not only because of the economy of language, but also because of a balancing richness of theme and image.

In small-town rural Washington, a drug mule is murdered, and weak-witted, defenseless Lonny Ogden is held for it. A number of inconsistencies undermine his status as a suspect, and when a second member of the drug underground is killed with Lonny still in custody, focus necessarily shifts in another direction. Lonny and his big sister Calla, who is the story’s fretful protagonist, are part Native American. The inconsistencies and conflicts between the Native and Anglo cultures show, somewhat under the surface, but don’t really break out into the open here, except as an alternate approach to the moral principles involved. The other characters, town mayor Phil Bianchi, immigrant policeman Greg Takarchuk, and reformed drug dealer Jason Ferris, all struggle to pick their way through treacherous waters to promising new lives. These subplots provide the gratifying depth that this novel rewards the reader with.

Mr. Neff makes highly effective use of native stories and legends, wielding them to fill the depths of his characters, and make genuine their motivation. They provide a backdrop to current nefarious or virtuous activity, and knowing them gives a character a key to solving the main riddle, and to getting Lonny off the hook. This book is paced brilliantly – characters’ self-examination, when it happens, happens with the same economy as the main action. It’s all handled very deftly indeed. The suspenseful principal story serves as entrée and engine for the personal quests of its main characters. It’s a pleasing, impressive whole, and features an action-packed, perilous climax that is highly satisfying.

On the whole, a highly recommended read.

http://bassoprofundo1.blogspot.com/2012/07/dire-salvation-by-charles-b-neff.html

Charles B. Neff’s captivating fifth thriller, is the story of a complex murder investigation that propels local law enforcement officers to search for the source of a sophisticated new drug. Set in the Cascade Mountains of Central Washington state, the pace of Dire Salvation is swift, as accelerating action over five days builds suspense at every turn.

Magnus Torval, recently retired from the police, is on vacation and is about to get married. When he takes a break to go fishing, he finds a body in a recently dug grave.

Greg Takarchuck learns about the body and thinks that it may be his father. If if is, he hopes he will be able to investigate the case but fears that the police chief will put him on leave. Both fears are met.

In a story similar to Louise Penny's wonderful "A Rule Against Murder," when an investigator goes on a wedding anniversary vacation and becomes involved in a murder the he will help to solve, here, the retired investigator is about to get married and must reassure his fiance that he will keep to his promise to give up criminal investigations but still becomes involved.

There is more to the story than a simple murder. Greg and his parents are Ukrainians and Pentecostals. He thinks that either association could be a reason why his father was killed.

When Greg is on leave, he and Magnus work together to talk about the case. Greg tells Magnus that his father had served with the Russian army in the Russian-Afghan War.

Soon after, a Russian businessman, Vladislav Ostrovsky, also known as Petrov, arrives and tells Greg that he wants to look at his father's ledgers. He explains that the was Greg's father's supplier for the Russian antiques that Greg's father sold in his store.

The novel is complex and well told. A number of the characters had been in the Rusian army in the Russia-Afghan war. While on a mission, there was an incident.

The reader has to wonder how the killer will be found. And in the investigation, it is interesting to learn of the actions of men fighting in Afghanistan. It serves as a comparison to today's U.S. and NATO forces fighting in the area.

I enjoyed the novel and learning about a part of Russian history and of the artwork and artifacts that Greg's father was selling.

Part of the story was in the mountains in Swiftwater, Washington and the description of a lonely cabin in the woods and of the fierce cold, was nicely done.

I would have rated the book higher but felt that it lacked suspense and it could have been cut down to make a more compact thriller.