The Man Everybody Was Afraid OfCELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DAVE BRANDSTETTER The murder of a conservative police chief in a fishing village north of Los Angeles sends death claims investigator Dave Brandstetter into the no-man's land between cops and activists in this brilliantly plotted mystery, which perfectly captures California in the mid-1970s. A small-town Chief of Police with reactionary politics and national ambitions, Ben Orton struck fear in the hearts of anyone who fell out of line in his little fiefdom of La Caleta. Most recently that has included gay rights activists pushing for the hiring of a police officer from their community. When big Ben is found in his backyard bludgeoned to death by a large terracotta pot, the police arrest the outspoken gay owner of a local nursery. Orton had a life insurance policy that brings death claims investigator Dave Brandstetter north to pry. As far as Dave can tell, the cops did almost nothing to investigate Orton’s death and what evidence they did compile doesn’t seem to add up. Dave quickly learns that the pool of suspects is much deeper than the police reported. Ben Orton may have seen himself as a pillar of the community but what many in La Caleta saw instead was a violent man whose commitment to enforcement didn’t always also include room for the law. With an ailing father in the hospital and a relationship headed toward the rocks, a very distracted Brandstetter finds himself making more wrong moves than right while those on the other side of the thin blue line are making it painfully obvious his presence is not wanted. |
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The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of: Dave Brandstetter Investigation 4 Joseph Hansen No preview available - 2014 |
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Anita Barker blue Caleta called Cecil chair Cliff color corner Daisy dark Dave asked desk didn’t don’t door Doug dropped empty eyes face father feet fingers floor Franklin front gave girl glass Green hair half hand hard he’d head heard held hung inside It’s Jerry keep Kerlee kids killed kind knew laugh Lester light live looked mean morning mouth moved never Nowell officer Orton paint past picked police pulled pushed rocks Rodriguez seen shook shoulder showed shut side smile Smith sound started steps stood stopped street talk tell thing thought tires told took trees tried trying turned voice waited walked wall wasn’t watch window woman yellow