Collision Of Lies by
Tom Threadgill is the first in a new series. The plot includes
a murder mystery and a kidnapping on the fringes but becomes
more of a conspiracy thriller. The story focuses on how one
person can change a whole community’s lives.
“I was sitting in a restaurant with my wife and saw
this woman texting frantically. This started me questioning
the what if, who is she texting, and what are the texts saying.
Then I thought of a story where the character would receive
a text by her son who she assumed dead. Because I do not believe
in fate, but that God controls everything, I write stories
where things happen in a certain line of events.”
From the very first page, the story will grab the reader.
While at a restaurant, Detective Amara Alvarez, with the San
Antonio Police Department Property Crimes Division, overhears
a conversation between a husband and wife. This sets off a
chain of events that will test her detective abilities and
her resolve to do whatever necessary to unearth the truth.
The case was solved and closed with absolutely no hint at
anything more sinister than a suicidal bus driver ramming
a school bus full of children into an oncoming train. But
now the parents have received a text from someone claiming
to be their son needing help. With these new clues, Amara
promises to investigate and reopen the case without getting
many others involved.
Helping her find the truth is Texas Ranger Sara Colby, medical
examiner Dr. Douglas Pritchard, and homicide detective Starsky
Peckham. The banter between these characters makes the dialogue
very enjoyable. There are also characters introduced that
are more associated with Amara’s personal life, including
her partner Wylie Dotson, Amara’s family, and her pet
iguana, Larry the Lizard. Whether it is the doctor’s
eccentric way of explaining idioms and developing creative
methods to enjoy annoyingly messy snacks, the detective’s
mystery background about his nickname, her partner’s
obsession with the TV show “Downton Abbey,” or
Amara treating the lizard-like a dog, it all enhances the
storyline.
All the characters will be back in the second story. The author
noted, “In the next book of the series, Network Of Deceit,
Amara achieves her goal of being transferred to homicide and
will be investigating a teenage boy found dead in a crowded
waterpark. Dotson will possibly get together with Amara’s
mother. Starsky, whose real name is Jeremiah Peckham, was
given the nickname for something in his past that was an embarrassing
moment for him, and he will still be teased. Larry the Lizard
will have added scenes because he is so popular with the readers.”
Readers get to learn about Amara’s Hispanic background
through family dinner scenes and the dialogue, which includes
some Spanish phrases. “I wrote her as tough, smart,
spunky, having a cynical eye, and confident. She keeps physically
fit and has the need to prove herself because of her size
and being a woman in a man’s world. The reason I put
in the Spanish phrases is because she is a Latina, and the
setting is in San Antonio, a city with a strong Hispanic heritage.
I am not worried about cultural appropriation because, as
a storyteller, I consider myself an artist. I am a middle-aged
white male but am not writing solely for middle-age white
male readers. I want people who read my books to understand
that characters should come from all races, religions, and
ethnicities.”
This story was compelling; the characters were relatable and
easy to like and cheer for. If this is the first book read
by Threadgill, it certainly should not be the last. The story
is full of thrilling suspense and action that keeps going
to the very end.
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