On his first day as a police officer, Jack Delaney saves the life of a petty thug named Doyle Howland. With the events that follow, Jack will come to regret this act of kindness.
Doyle Howland is only the latest in a long line of criminally inclined Howlands. The murder of his father, Sonny, had sent shock waves through his small community in rural western Wisconsin many years ago. Rumors down at the local watering hole put good odds on navy veteran Will Graves for the crime.
Jack has always admired the quiet World War II hero and remains convinced that someone else must have committed the crime. This conviction led him all the way to the police academy and a career in law enforcement.
It also leads him to reexamine the case. Everyone believes that Will killed Sonny for having an affair with his wife, but Will's granddaughter Anna adamantly denies that her grandmother would fall for such a disreputable man. As Jack and Anna get closer to the truth, they also grow closer to each other. Will their burgeoning relationship weather the return of a vengeful Doyle Howland and shocking revelations about Sonny's murder?
About the Author: Author Rick Pendergast was born on a small Wisconsin dairy farm to parents who survived the Great Depression. They taught him the value of hard work and the dangers of judging people based on first impressions. These lessons of perseverance and compassion served Pendergast well during his careers in the air force, law enforcement, and the law.
After being honorably discharged from the air force, Pendergast earned a degree in political science with a minor in English-despite vowing never to attend school again.
Pendergast was a policeman in the Eau Claire Police Department before leaving to attend law school. After graduating with honors, he returned to the small town to practice law.
Pendergast lives with his wife, Ellen, in a country house not far from his parents' dairy farm, which is now run by his daughter. They have seven children, fourteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren between them.
