Tara Taylor Quinn continues her series, The Chapman Files,
with the latest release, THE SECOND LIE. When I sat down
with THE SECOND LIE I knew I would get a story that was
timely, but I didn't realize how closely it would follow my
own life.
I had just come from visiting my sister where I learned that
that her small rural town is a hot bed for cooking
Meth. It's big there because the chemicals needed to make
meth are available in large quantities for use on
farms. Because of this experience, THE SECOND LIE caught
my attention since is is about Samantha, a police officer
who is strongly convinced that Meth is becoming a problem in
her small rural town. She will stop at almost nothing to
uncover the meth cooks and stop them.
Her "obsession", as her friends and family call it, might
cost Sam more than her job. It might cost her her
relationships with those to whom she is closest. Even
knowing the personal risks, she can't stop her need to try
to protect the citizens of her town.
What Sam's unauthorized one woman undercover operation
eventually turns up will have long range consequences for
many of the town residents. As I read the conclusion of THE
SECOND LIE I felt well satisfied. Sam was hailed as the
hero, and Fort County was safe for the time being.
When you take such a large story and set it in a small town
you limit your choice of villains because everyone knows
everyone else. What Ms. Quinn does in hiding her villain
takes a skilled hand, and several plot twists that all pull
together quite nicely.
THE SECOND LIE might not be as down and gritty as her
previous titles, but it's just as timely in discussing a
problem that is growing with alarming speed. It seems to
invade people's lives before they're fully aware. Once
again, I have to say kudos to Ms. Quinn for being willing to
tackle a subject that many would rather hide under the
living room rug.
People in Chandler, Ohio, say it’s small-town America at
its best.They say big-city problems don't happen here. They’re
wrong.
That’s why psychologist Kelly Chapman is so concerned about
14-year-old Maggie Winston. She’s a straight A student who’s
developed a sudden interest in an older man. A man she knows
only as Mac.
Deputy Samantha Jones, Kelly’s longtime friend, is worried,
too. She has been ever since a respected local businessman
killed his wife and then himself. Since one kid was caught
selling drugs to another. Since the discovery of a
mysterious chemical dump on Kyle Evans’s farm. Kyle, her
former fiancé and current lover...
Are all these things connected? That’s what Sam and Kelly
are beginning to think. And that means someone in Chandler
is lying.