small town chief of police killed, Brandstetter investigates

In the small coastal California of La Caleta, someone killed Police Chief Ben Orton, much to the surprise of everyone in town. Not because he was a good cop, but because he was a hard man that no one dared to cross. Of all his enemies, the police arrested Cliff Kerlee, a gay activist who had threatened Orton recently and publicly. One person, though, doesn't believe he's the guilty party. Dave Brandstetter pays a visit to La Caleta to investigate the death on behalf of his employer, Medallion Life Insurance. The townsfolk don't talk much, Orton's family is downright hostile, and Kerlee has an airtight alibi. But the closer he comes to uncovering the truth, the more someone in this sleepy little town wants him as dead as Orton.

"The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of" is a tight little mystery with the perfect amount of twists that kept even me guessing as to what really happened to Orton. Plus, I like Brandstetter. He's an openly gay man but doesn't let what people might think -- even in the late 1970s, which is the setting of the story -- interfere his desire to get to the truth behind Orton's death, no matter who the culprit may be. And he's smart, always thinking one step ahead to keep himself out of too much trouble. It's a smart mystery and a great addition to Hansen's series of novels featuring Brandstetter. ( )