Fatal Trust

     BOOK REVIEW:   A Simple Job. An Unbelievable Payout. But in risking it all on blind trust, he may just lose everything......    Ian Wells is a young, ambitious Minneapolis attorney struggling to build up a law practice while caring for a mother with Alzheimer's. As the stress and bills mount,Ian is nearing the breaking point when everything changes with a single new case. All Ian must do, the client demands, is judge whether three men qualify for nine million dollars of trust funds soon to be paid out by determining wehther they've been involved in any criminal activity for the past twenty years. Ian's fee for a week's work: the unfathomable sum of two hundred thousand dollars.
     The job seems too good to be true, and Ian wants to turn the offer down, but his needs weigh more heavily. He warily accepts the job---but is quickly dragged deep into a mystery linking the trust money to an illegal enterprise dating back to Prohibition and the greatest unsolved crime in Minnesota history. Ian soon finds himself the target of a swiftly tightening criminal investigation---realizing too late that this so-called simple job has spun out of control and now threatens his career, his future, and his life.

     MY REVIEW:  I really enjoyed this book! I like mysteries, especially those that are interesting without being gruesome. A trend I have noticed with (the two) mysteries written by men is the lack of major focus on the romantic angle. It's nice to be able to read an interesting book without it being about the relationship.
     A recurring dream of Ian's is told sporadically throughout the story to give background on the original crime. It's fun to see it all unfold like that, and Todd did a good job at telling things without giving too much away. It's clear and concise and easy to keep separate from the actual story.
     Suprising answers abound as the story comes to a close, such as the reason for Katie's odd payroll, and why Ian was chosen to represent the trust. The story also ended on a high note, which is necessary to make a mystery worth reading. All questions were answered, the bad guys caught, and the good guys getting what they wanted.
      Todd Johnson has previously written The Deposit Slip and Critical Reaction. You can find him and his books at authortoddmjohnson.com.

    I received a copy of this book from BETHANY HOUSE PUBLISHERS per thier blogger program, and was only asked to write an honest review.