MURDER TAKES THE FIFTH opens with author K.P. Gresham’s hero, Pastor Matt Hayden, hoping to take it easy as he settles into his new digs in Austin. But his peace is disrupted when he must head to Iowa to his mother’s funeral shortly after the bombing of a popular gay bar. After her funeral, Hayden worries about how he’ll care for his younger brother Luke, who had been mistakenly shot by the criminals hounding Hayden back before the family sought witness protection and Hayden was known as undercover cop Mike Hogan. However, tensions increase back in Austin when Hayden learns police have arrested one of his housemates, the cook for the genteel Texas woman, his unofficial landlord.
At his landlady Hester Honeywell’s request, Hayden dives in and interviews the club’s severely burned bartender. Then, with help from a geeky expert in video surveillance and Honeywell’s connections inside the Austin police force, Hayden slowly uncovers the truth. To do so, he must unravel the past and present actions of powerful players in the Senate and the church and delve into the forces behind the powerful oil and energy lobby. Hayden learns there are also mysteries in his landlady’s past.
Nothing disappoints in this taut mystery-thriller. Though the book’s four-volume backstory is complex, the author weaves all the elements together for a satisfying ending that leaves no nagging questions and holds hope for her hero’s family. Each chapter is tight, pushing the pace forward. Twists unfurl as clues, procedural details for lab reports, tire treads, and witness statements unfold clearly. The author resists any temptation to moralize or create stereotypical bad guys, even though the story’s backbone rests on a man’s faith and her all-too-human hero is a preacher.
Gresham’s dialogue rings true as well, giving characters unique voices that scream authenticity while internal monologues flow logically. Stylistically, her descriptive writing shines like two moonshiners in a quarry: “at the far end of a shallow, rock-rimmed pond, bubbles disturbed the calm, pristine waters. Both men stopped, smiles stretching their cheeks.” The book is professional and lacks any flaws in punctuation and style, making for a solid read.
K.P. Gresham’s intriguing characters, sparkling prose, and multi-layered plot make MURDER TAKES THE FIFTH a sure-fire winner.
~Robin L Harvey for IndieReader