Murder at the Courthouse ~ Review

Murder at the Courthouse
A Hidden Springs Mystery # 1
By A.H. Gabhart

Michael Keane returned to Hidden Springs, leaving behind the stresses of life as a big city officer. But when a murdered stranger is discovered in front of the courthouse Hidden Springs may never be the same.

Hidden Springs is the perfect small town, one that fans of Mayberry would love to move into.  But Hidden Springs isn't quite what it appears on the surface.  And the search for a killer is about to expose answers to long forgotten questions.  But what do these discoveries have to do with the current investigation?  Or is this discovery merely a coincidence?  Michael is convinced someone knows something - but the questions are who and what?

Meanwhile Michael reaches out to a troubled teen who is on the road to trouble.  Anthony's life has been troubled and turbulent since his mother disappeared years ago.  Michael's own loss makes him reach out to Anthony, but how do you help someone who doesn't want your help?

Small town life has a unique charm and Hidden Springs is no different.  How they react to the shattered illusion of their perceived safety and tranquility is about to redefine them. This is a town where everyone knows everything about everyone and what they don't know they make up and embellish.  I like how Hidden Springs has a weekly local paper where the news is old news by the time it comes out.  Living in a small town myself I know how true this is - the big news events always happen the day after the paper comes out.

I really enjoyed my visit to Hidden Springs and am looking forward to a future visit - which is hinted at in the back of the book.  Though it has a contemporary setting Murder at the Courthouse doesn't read like a contemporary fiction.  The mystery element is strong throughout and should please clean mystery fans (though there is a bit of blood sullying things up a bit).

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher Revell through their blogger program.



About the Book:

Welcome to Hidden Springs

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Michael Keane's stressful days as a Columbus police officer are done. He's ready to relax into his new position as deputy sheriff in his sleepy hometown. Nothing ever happens in Hidden Springs, Kentucky--and that's just fine with Michael.

Nothing, that is, until a dead body is discovered on the courthouse steps. As Michael works to solve the case, it seems that every nosy resident in town has a theory. When the sheriff insists Michael check out one of these harebrained theories, his surprising discovery sends him on a bewildering search for a mysterious killer that has him questioning everything he has ever believed about life in Hidden Springs.

Bringing with her a knack for creating settings you want to visit and an uncanny ability to bring characters to life, A. H. Gabhart pens a whodunit that will keep you guessing.

About the Author:

A. H. Gabhart is Ann H. Gabhart, bestselling author of many novels, including Angel Sister, Small Town Girl, andLove Comes Home, and several popular Shaker novels such as The Outsider, The Believer, and The Innocent. Ann grew up in a small rural town in Kentucky much like Hidden Springs, but she is happy to report nobody was ever murdered on her hometown's courthouse steps. Ann and her husband still live on a farm near that same little town in Kentucky. Learn more at www.annhgabhart.com.