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“The FBI! They’ve got a perimeter!”
Bastard's Bluff
By David Benjamin
(No. 2 in the Jim Otis crime series)
Burning crosses on lawns and swastikas on Jewish graves?
These are outrages wildly out of place in neighborly Hercules, Wis. But when a rash of hate crimes strikes, villagers turn to ex-police chief Jim Otis for help. Trouble is, after a scandal over a high-school cheerleader, Jim’s no longer a cop.
The crimes spiral beyond the new police chief’s control. Suspicion focuses on Norman Klinghofer, who lives quietly in a historic family compound atop Bastard’s Bluff. When Norman is fingered for robbing the town’s only bank and shooting an innocent teller, the FBI storms into Hercules.
Jim Otis doesn’t believe Norman is the raving bigot behind the hateful “Badger Bund” website, but he’s powerless to intervene until his teenage daughter, Natalie, thrusts herself (without permission) into the siege on Bastard’s Bluff. Jim is forced to summon his detective skills and solve the mystery before hardboiled FBI agent Flint Hardesty turns Bastard’s Bluff into another Ruby Ridge.
AWARDS: NYC Big Book Awards, Best Crime Fiction, 2021. Independent Press Awards, Distinguished Favorite, Crime Fiction, 2021. Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group), Finalist, Series, 2022.
Bastard's Bluff
By David Benjamin
Price: $20
What they're saying
“… a page-turner of a novel! Jim Otis’ relationships with the town’s citizens—from gumptionless weasels wanting power to intolerant bigwigs, to women with brains and no fear—are richly entertaining. We learn that Jim’s teenage daughter, Natalie, is an effervescent chip off the tough old block. Let’s hope she joins her father in future exploits. Beautifully paced and plotted with smart dialog and lively characters, Benjamin’s books never disappoint! I can’t wait for the next one.”
—Maureen Holtz, author, The Last Resort