Black Blizzard

The summer of 1933 feels like Armageddon. Crops are dead, jobs are gone, and hope is dying. Even breathing grows difficult in zero-visibility dust storms called black blizzards. Worse, Lyon County Sheriff Billy Rhett Kershaw finds his young deputy murdered. About the same time, his friends and neighbors begin killing themselves. In the midst of all this, when Sheriff Billy, with a few deputized locals, learns that an organized group of career criminals from Chicago threaten a local businessman and his family in the small town of George, Iowa, they look for a connection between these brutal newcomers and the mysterious deaths. Or is something far more sinister going on? If you love historical crime fiction, or would like to explore it, get lost in "Black Blizzard." What readers are saying: "I had to stay up way past my bedtime last night to finish the book; not because of a deadline, but because I wanted to find out how the story ends. The book is quite gripping, not just because the characters are so relatable and likable, but because you inject a story line with believable tension. Having lived in Iowa and gotten to know many students from farm families, I felt at home with the Iowa people. I just finished your book. Thought it was excellent" - Julia S. "Really engrossed in the book. The ending was very satisfying." - Gus H. I'm impressed by your writing. A great job of tying subparts of the story together. Bravo!" Jake is tough, resilient, and yet has the ability to reach for the stars. He knows Sophie is out of his league, but goes for her anyway. He loves his farm, his animals, his friends. There is no downside to Jake, other than the smell. But that's part of the realism. You have made an Iowa pig farmer smell like an Iowa pig farmer. Kudos to you. Sophie. I love her. She also is strong and resilient. You make her believable as well, in that she marries Jake with stars in her eyes, but soon realizes what a hard life she's facing on the farm. Oh, and the smell. But she finds the inner strength to "do what needs to be done," as Garrison Keillor would have said Walt. He has the best plot twists. Interesting and really adds to the story line. The plot behind the plot is a nice addition. At first we think the Animals are just trying to make money with Black Gold. But then we get hints of something deeper. The Ham radio clues are a nice way to bring that in, especially having a handicapped kid tweak to it and go to the authorities. Clever to start showing your hand in the Ham transmissions but not exposing the plot completely until near the end of the book. I like that you wove the dust bowl features into the story as it went along, rather than making the dust bowl a major character. But it's fitting that the dust storm plays an important role in the fight between the animals and the good guys.