Steel Town

Without warning, Detective Andy Blake’s personal life seems to be spinning out of control. She already has enough on her plate dealing with the opioid crisis that has crippled her hometown of Sault Ste. Marie. Adding to that are her efforts to balance it all with an admitted infatuation with the charming Dr. Campbell who is on special assignment advising the health responders dealing with a new threat: a pure form of the drug fentanyl that has added to the crisis.

Meanwhile, a young boy with special needs and a young couple become integral to the intriguing outcome of Andy’s investigation.

About the Author:
Mystery and Historical Fiction Author Richard Whitten Barnes
is a native Chicagoan, who graduated as a chemist from Michigan State University. He retired from a long career in international chemical sales and marketing, which took him all over the world. Barnes is a veteran of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division and an avid sailor. He, his wife Marg, and their dog Sparty live in Charlotte, NC, but spend summers at their cottage on St. Joseph Island, Ontario, on the shores of Lake Huron. Steel Town is his eleventh book.

Reviews:
I have never read any of Richard Whitten Barnes novels before. Steel Town, an Andy Blake mystery is a real cracker. You know a good book when you can’t put it down until the end. This is a novel where the reader definitely doesn’t hit pain barrier at page three.

Like all good detective novels the ending has a real twist in the tail but I’m not telling. That would spoil the surprise.

The main character Andria (Andy) Blake is very real, three-dimension character. It’s also good to see a female character given centre stage.

Urban the principal bad guy, Joey, his autistic son and Maryland Eddie also are also believable characters. Dealt a bad deal in life they both helped one another to climb out a pit of despair, helped by Joey’s sudden appearance in their lives.This is a nice sub-plot.  
Good read 5 Stars. - Review by Andrew R Williams, Author of Arcadia’s Children: Samantha’s Revenge & Arcadia’s Children 2: The Fyfield Plantation

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An engaging story line with plenty of unexpected twists and one final surprise I never saw coming. The characters were well drawn and compelling, and while it took me awhile to get into the story at the beginning, as it unfolded, I found myself turning pages long into the night, needing to know what happened next. An intriguing plot and a satisfying ending. I enjoyed the detectives, Andy Blake and her partner Arnold Terry and hope to see more of their adventures in the future. 
Skye Taylor, Award winning author of the Camerons of Tide's Way series and The Candidate.