I apologize to all my author and publishing industry friends who’ve sent me books for review the last two weeks. My full attention was absorbed by Richard McKeown’s crime novel, State of Redemption. And when you read it, you’ll know why.

The setting—a small town in Vermont—where a decades old murder comes to light amidst a high-profile election.

When the protagonist visits the home of his youth, a haunting memory is triggered, and he unknowingly kicks the dust off a cold case town leaders hoped to keep buried. Upon further investigation, his life, along with that of the woman he’s falling for and two surprising allies, are threatened. Then after a chilling confrontation reminiscent of High Noon, the clock ticks down to a cataclysmic decision—retribution or redemption.

Obviously, my summary is cryptic, but I wanted to prevent a “spoiler alert.”

I will say this, it’s clear that McKeown capitalized on his experiences as a crime reporter, political consultant, and communications expert when writing this book. It is lengthy and unravels at a deliberate pace, but don’t let that deter you from reading it. In fact, that’s what makes it unputdownable. It gives the reader time to absorb, surmise, anticipate, and process one chilling revelation after another. Each chapter ends on a page-turning cliffhanger, which I love. I also applaud the author’s ability to divine a story that is both eerily timely and plausible.