by Karlene Heinkel
ISBN-10: 0595443222
Review by Heather Froeschl
Reunions with the past don’t always bring fond memories. What we do with our reminiscences can sometimes be a matter of life and death, happiness and sorrow. In Karlene Heinkel’s novel, “Irreparable Damages,” the past and the present commingle with the ease of memory replayed.
Michael Stanford is on top of the world one minute…wealthy, a partner is his own business, a loving member of a large family, and recently engaged, yet moments later his world comes crashing down as his fiancé reveals that she’s pregnant. Why should this be so shocking? The next day finds him murdered in cold blood on his office floor. With so much going for him how could this happen? The family, and the town, is devastated. Charlie Whitman is a little too close to the case. As sheriff, he has only been back in his home town for a number of years after escaping it in the military and FBI. Michael wasn’t exactly his best friend back in high school but they were in the same circles and Charlie knew things that only one of the guys would know. Investigating this murder would bring back all of those memories, and the feelings that ran rampant with them.
What would Michael’s business partner, in the small town of Hillcrest, have to do with a Vegas-connected casino owner? Why would Michael’s fiancée remain living in his home after his death…with her ex-husband for company? What does Shelley Bowden, a girl both Michael and Charlie had feelings for back in the day, have to do with the whole tragedy? These things all bubble to the surface as the truth is revealed. Will Charlie lay the past to rest? Will justice be delivered?
The book is full of characters you will recognize in life. There are many different personalities to contend with that it all seems very real. The plot is rich with a past that is spelled out right in front of you, and a future that is not revealed until the very end. This guessing game is what many mystery readers love. I enjoyed the book and trying to work out the case along with Charlie. “Irreparable Damages” is a reminder that there is always so much more than meets the eye in everybody’s story.
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