One
on One by Michael Brandman
is the second installment in a new series. The former original
writer of the Jesse Stone series, after Robert Parker’s
death, decided to write a series about a small-town police
deputy. Besides a good mystery, the author intertwines some
social issues and an ongoing discussion about assisted suicide.
Legendary Sheriff Burton Steel requested
his son Buddy leave his job with LAPD Homicide and come home
to become the deputy of Freedom, California, a privileged
coastal community a hundred miles north of Los Angeles. Reluctantly,
he honored the summons because of a sense of duty and a willingness
to make amends with his dying father. Burton Steel has Lou
Gehrig’s disease and has pressured his son to pull the
plug when necessary to assisted suicide.
Brandman noted, “I knew someone
who pulled the plug on himself. The guy was a physician and
worked out a morphine overdose. His future was so dim he did
not want to experience the pain. I wanted to explore in this
series the issues of the father/son dynamic as well as what
happens when someone faces mortality. Burton is not afraid
to tell Buddy he will one day ask him to pull the plug. Although
Buddy is horrified, it is a topic I wanted to delve into,
the taking of a life versus ending a loved one’s suffering.”
Thankfully, for Buddy, he becomes distracted
while investigating a fatality. Hank Carson, a popular assistant
principal, who is also the assistant swimming coach, is brutally
murdered with a steak knife. Further scrutiny reveals that
there was another side to Carson. There are people who resent
him and are suspicious that he and some football players could
be involved in the abuse of those on the swim team.
Readers will obviously be reminded
of the Penn State football scandal along with Michigan State’s
gymnastic scandal, both involving sexual abuse. “I wanted
to write how a murder could have happened out of these stories
of abuse. This violation of a sacred trust had people looking
the other way. I like to explore some societal issues. In
my first book, Missing Persons, I explored how some preachers
are con men that emerged as self-righteous. In this novel,
I wanted to show how abuse can impact a victim and what is
their recourse. In my next book, Buddy takes on the developers
and Coastal Commission after a murder takes place.”
The
sub-plot of the book has Buddy angry over a sudden outbreak
of graffiti. He is forced to find new and challenging ways
to thwart those responsible for defacing buildings with their
so-called “street art.” The author wants “to
call attention to this blight and have Buddy find a way to
end it. I am tired of driving around Los Angeles, seeing this
horrifying graffiti. I put in a quote in the book to show
these ‘artists’ will do it anywhere and do not
care if it is public or private property.”
Buddy is a likable character who uses self-deprecating humor,
sometimes acting like an overgrown schoolboy. He is easygoing
and can handle people poking fun at him. Being smart, caring,
and understanding people’s emotional pain, Buddy has
a moral sense of right versus wrong.
Readers will enjoy this fast-paced mystery. With well-developed
characters and a plot that takes issues straight from the
headlines, this is a good read.
Reviews of other titles in this series
Missing
Persons #1
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