Blood Flats by Edward Trimnell

Release Date: November 18, 2011
Publisher: Beechmont Crest Publishing

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
All he wanted to do was to come home and make a peaceful life for himself in his hometown in Kentucky. Unfortunately for Lee McCabe, fate has other plans for him. After becoming a Marine and serving his country, Lee returned to the place he had always known. Shortly after he settled in, a brutal crime is committed next door to his trailer prompting him to go into defensive mode and check things out. Things go from bad to worse as other residents see him leaving the scene of the crime, falsely believing him to be responsible.

Instead of staying to answer any questions, Lee goes on the run. His history with the local law enforcement isn't one of the best, especially since his parents slighted the sheriff, Steven Phelps, by falling in love. Not only does Lee have the law on his tail but the men behind the initial crime are also after him to clean up their mess. All this weaves in and out of the many layers hidden within small town Kentucky and the underlying crime and meth problems found therein. Will he make it out alive? Who can he trust?

Review:
This book took me a while to get through due to the large ground that the book covers and personal obligations on my end. However, the story is definitely one that a person can get lost in. Right away the reader is shown the main character's life and then the action begins. With barely time to breathe, we're on the run and introduced to many unsavory characters lurking in the dark shadows of Hawkins County, Kentucky. I was almost afraid that the book would only have bad guy after bad guy popping up. Thankfully there are many shining lights scattered throughout the book that reflect the goodness in people as well.

With a large cast of characters, it's sometimes difficult to make sure that each of the important ones gets enough screen time. I think the author did a great job and achieved a good balance of keeping the reader informed on the lead character while giving a glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes, so to speak. Each of the characters did have their own flaws, distinct personalities. While a lot of the unsavory ones were showing off their bad sides, at times they did have their softer moments as well. I thought that was a great contrast and gave them dimension.

As I mentioned, there is a lot of ground that is covered within the books 300+ pages. There were a few times when my interest waned a bit only to find myself glued to the book the next minute. This is one of those stories that really rewards the reader for making it to the very end. Overall, it's an action packed, thrill ride that takes you from the hills and hollers of the backwoods into the sprawling cities and back.

Blood Flats by Edward Trimnell is currently available in both paperback and Kindle forms. Each can be purchased at Amazon.com by clicking the following link.
Blood Flats by Edward Trimnell