Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Veteran police chief Eli Gallagher doesn’t ask for much, but he does insist that his officers uphold the “serve” part of “serve and protect.” Conscientious young Deputy Stan Leach takes Eli’s motto to heart, maintaining a high standard of personal accountability.

When Eli’s long-distance boyfriend, Gilbert Nees, telephones from Philadelphia, Eli thinks he intends to further cement their relationship. Unfortunately, Gilbert’s news is anything but good. But Eli doesn’t have time to wallow, because a violent act results in murder in the small town of Morristown, Mississippi.

But as Eli and Stan uncover evidence, their personal lives begin to unravel. Stan, working closely with Chief Gallagher, grows increasingly attached to Eli and learns what it really means to be an advocate of justice.

 

Book Review

Lately it appears I'm reading a number of new to me authors, and I can't begin to tell you how much I love that. It's so exciting to find a new voice and then look into reading more of their works. 'The Winter Dark' by J.S. Cook is a murder mystery with a little love thrown in, not a bad way to spend an afternoon, in my opinion.

Morristown, Mississippi in the middle of winter is having unseasonably cold temperatures. Like in the minus digits, which, frankly, if you know anything about the Deep South, then you know how rare that is. This is not a big city, filled with a lot of poor people, struggling to get by. Officer Stan Leach runs across Harvey trying to break into a pool hall just to get warm. Harvey is twenty-one, still lives at home with his mother, but his mom's boyfriend uses him like a punching bag. Stan lets him come and stay at his house to have somewhere safe, warm, and with food to eat. Meanwhile, Chief of Police Eli Gallagher, has gone north to visit his long-distance boyfriend, only to find, after they've had sex, that Gilbert is going to marry a woman and have kids, but he'd like to keep Eli on the side. What? Yeah, Eli ain't too happy about that development either. Eli heads home with that relationship ended while Stan learns that Harvey got accepted to college and he's leaving.

Spring comes along and life is back to routine and loneliness for both men, until they get a call regarding a dead woman found in her trailer. The same woman they'd taken to the hospital earlier to get treated for damage her husband caused, but whom she refused to press charges against. Investigating this murder brings Eli and Stan together, but it's their wants and desires that hold them that way.

This is a good novella, but in my opinion, the relationship between Eli and Stan could've developed over more time, and I certainly would have liked to see that. If you're familiar with the South, then the rhythm of this small, poor area will be comforting.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and audio
Length	Novella, 104 pages/24290 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	10-September-2014
Price	$3.99 ebook, $6.95 audiobook
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-winter-dark-by-js-cook-1974-b