Tangles

Set during the Cold War era, this thriller is about what lies beneath and what people are willing to kill for, to protect.

Research on a harpooned whale concludes that two young dreamers, Luke Hinson and his friend Mary Boone, were right. The truth—a coverup of immense proportions—propels them to defy the odds and fight for a better world. But Mary is now gone. Luke knows why. To honor her memory and fight for change, he follows her footsteps to expose a devastating leaching that’s sickening and even killing in their small Oregon college town. His path leads to the government’s front door, unearthing buried secrets and spotlighting Hanford’s dangerous actions.

From the first page, you enter Luke’s life, experience his startling discovery, and root for his survival. Will justice prevail? Will he fail to honor Mary’s legacy? Time is critical. Not only is Luke battling external powers-that-be, but guilt, resentment, and cancer are taking a toll on his mind and body.

This debut novel by Kay Smith-Blum is steeped in research and swift in telling. Her writing is exact, cutting out unnecessary fillers and giving just enough backstory to fill in the gaps. Still, it jumps a bit here and there, so you need to be all in to get where you’re going. That’s not a negative. Instead, it honors her delivery of a tight, fast-paced novel appropriate for a thriller genre topped with a bonus eye-opening history lesson.

Image and Book Courtesy of CK Publicity and Kay Smith-Blum