Flash Flood

By Susan Slater

Dan Mahoney, insurance investigator, lands in Tatum, New Mexico where several prize cattle on the famed Double Horseshoe Ranch have mysteriously died. The claims put a lot of money at stake for Dan’s company. But that just scratches the surface of the high jinks afoot in Tatum. And the high stakes. A surprised Dan hadn’t counted on witnessing a murder, falling in love, or becoming the pawn of federal agents. It’s the flash flood that changes everything. Could cattleman Billy Roland Eklund have set up Eric Linden, pilot and family friend, who’s caught in the roaring water? Tempted him to forfeit seven years of his life for two million dollars? And then had him killed? Or was it the lovely Elaine, Linden’s wife, who had so much to gain? Dan stumbles across secrets that implicate his sister, his employer, and what seems like half of southern New Mexico. Sucked into small town duplicity, he struggles with truth and learns that dead men can come back to haunt.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Release date: May 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781615952533

Susan Slater

Kansas native Susan Slater lived in New Mexico for thirty-nine years and uses this enchanting Southwest setting for most of her mystery novels. Her Ben Pecos series reflects her extensive knowledge of the area and Native American tribal ways. As an educator, she directed the Six Sandoval Teacher Education Program for the All Indian Pueblo Council through the University of New Mexico. She taught creative writing for UNM and the University of Phoenix.The first in this highly acclaimed series, The Pumpkin Seed Massacre, reached Germany’s bestseller list shortly after its initial publication as a German translation. Original print versions of the first three titles were outstandingly reviewed in nationwide major media.In July, 2009, Susan made her first foray into women’s fiction with 0 to 60, a zany, all too true-to-life story of a woman dumped, and the book was immediately optioned by Hollywood.Late 2017 and 2018 brings a new era to Susan’s storytelling. Secret Staircase Books is releasing newly edited versions of her entire Ben Pecos series in paperback, and brings the series to a whole new set of readers for the first time in all e-book formats.Now residing in Florida with her menagerie of dogs and canaries, Susan writes full time and stays busy in community theatre and other volunteer projects. Contact her by email: [e-mail]

Reviews for Flash Flood

[cissa_5 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm not really sure why this mystery fell flat for me. The plot(s) are intricate and twisty, and I generally love that!I think it was the tone. Even the exciting parts were written in a very plain, matter-of-fact way with almost no tension.Similarly, all the characters are ciphers, or maybe puppets going through the motions. Even in highly emotional passages, their actions and reactions fall flat. I think Slater probably did see all these characters as vibrant individuals, but did not communicate this to the reader, which meant that many of their actions and choices seemed random.It could have used a good editor, both to point out these problems and to correct many of the errors in grammar (and sometimes in sense). Plus, there were some interesting threads that were not followed, and these might have been advantageously excised.I doubt I will read more by this author.