Title: Every Hidden Thing by Ted Flanagan
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense
Length: 336 pages
Book Rating: C
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
Big city politics, nasty secrets, a dirty cop, and a deranged sociopath set the stage for a riveting journey deep into the urban jungle.
The last scion of a once-powerful political family, Worcester mayor John O’Toole has his sights set on vastly higher aspirations. When night shift paramedic Thomas Archer uncovers a secret that could upend the mayor’s career, O’Toole is set on silencing him, and sends Eamon Conroy, a brutal former cop, to ensure the truth remains under wraps.
But O’Toole doesn’t stop there. With bribes, buried secrets, and personal attacks, he wreaks havoc on Archer’s life in an attempt to save himself. Archer’s troubles continue to mount when domestic terrorist and militia member Gerald Knak, who blames Archer for his wife’s recent death, sets in motion a deadly plan for revenge.
With two forces of evil aligned against him, Archer doesn’t stand a chance. But things aren’t always what they seem–and he may just have a few tricks up his sleeve in a last gambit to get out alive.
Review:
In Every Hidden Thing, author Ted Flanagan exposes the dark and seamy underbelly of politics.
Paramedic Thomas Archer has a strong sense of right and wrong. Years earlier, he helped put away crooked cop Eamon Conroy. In the present, Thomas files an ethics complaint that puts him in the crosshairs of ambitious Mayor John O’Toole. Thomas and his partner Julio Tavares unwittingly stumble into a secret that O’Toole wants to bury and he won’t just settle for trying to ruin Archer. As if trying to stay ahead of his latest trouble with the mayor is not enough, militia member Gerarld Knak is also gunning for Thomas.
Thomas has his share of serious problems in his personal life. He has gone through difficult times in the past that he managed to overcome. Thomas is undergoing a very challenging ordeal but he refuses to withdraw his complaint even when he knows Eamon is after him.
Newspaper reporter Lu McCarthy has a tumultuous past with Thomas. This figures into a decision she makes that comes back to haunt her. Trying to right her wrong, Lu learns just far Mayor O’Toole will go to achieve his political goals.
Gerald has plenty of grievances but his issue with Thomas is personal. He has been on the fringes of his father-in-law’s militia for years and he is a big believer of conspiracy theories. Gerald is out for revenge but will he accomplish his goal?
Every Hidden Thing is a well-written novel that is quite suspenseful. Most of the characters are decently developed but difficult to like. The action in the present is interrupted by flashbacks that provide interesting backstory. Some parts of the storyline drag a little which makes the pacing a little uneven. Readers can expect plenty of moral dilemmas as loyalties are tested by greed. Ted Flanagan brings this debut novel to an action-packed conclusion that is not completely satisfying.
