Book Review - PERILOUS COVE by Rich Bullock

Last month, Author Rich Bullock published his first book, Perilous Cove. I finished reading it a couple of days ago, and all I can say is "Wow, that man can write."

Oh, all right, I admit it. I've never stopped with just one sentence before--why should I break a precident?

This suspense novel begins with a rather heartless killer/arsonist-for-hire Tarz demonstrating his skill. Tarz weaves in and out of the pages with sickening frequency.

Then we're introduced to Natalie Clayton of St. Louis, Missouri. Her husband just died of an unexpected heart attack, and she's sitting at the graveside service with severe flu symptoms, listening to the chaplain drone on and on about a good man, loving husband, and devoted son. He surely can't be talking about her husband--although devoted son might fit. Firmly tied to his mother's apron strings, that tie was only severed by six feet of dirt on top of the casket.

Jack Clayton's mother, the illustrius Hilde Clayton, hates her. Hilde has her eye on the Governor's office. Hilde says Natalie is no good, and that she (Hilde) will assure Natalie gets not one cent from Jack's estate.

Natalie's best friend, Donna, who also closely resembles her, decides to spend the night with her. Natalie feels like warmed-over yuck and goes upstairs to bed. She wakes to unfamiliar noises, discovers an intruder. The intruder kills Donna and sets the house on fire.

Natalie manages to drag Donna (who Natalie doesn't know is already dead) out the window before the house is totally engulfed. Natalie winds up in the hospital recovering from a broken foot, burns, and the flu.

But wait--there's more. Enter Addison Connor,police detective, widower, father of fourteen-year-old Mandy. Arson and murder pulled him away from home--but he doesn't leave the teenager alone. He takes her along, and she sleeps in the car while he investigates.

You'd think Natalie would be safe in the hospital, but no. Someone tries to kill her roommate. They assign guards for her. When she is released, she has nowhere to go. No home, no friends (other than Donna, her husband made sure of that), no relatives. And apparently her husband had wiped out every savings and checking account they have on the morning before he died. And changed the recipient of his life insurance to his mother. Other than $9,000 in a safety deposit box, she is broke.

Detective Addison takes her to his home. And still someone tries to kill her, but Mandy instead is winged.

That does it. She buys an old jeep from a neighbor and heads for a house her aunt left her on the West Coast in Perilous Cove. Once there, she changes her name to Samantha (her middle name) Riley (her mother's maiden name).

Oh, wait--I'm telling you way too much. If you want to know the rest, the book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobel, and Smashwords. (At the time of this writing, B&N and SW websites refuse to come up.)

You won't be sorry, promise.