Blood Atonement: A Dahlgren Wallace Mystery

Blood Atonement: A Dahlgren Wallace Mystery

Dahlgren Wallace, former football star, Gulf War veteran, and former member of the Marine Corps elite Force Recon, currently lives as a trout bum. He’s put the world behind him and now guides on an expansive, private Montana river, owned by a media mogul. When the novel opens, he’s guiding his boss’s guest, a Mormon billionaire, down that river. It looks like an unexpected friendship is born--until the billionaire is bludgeoned to death, practically under Dahlgren’s nose. By a twist of fate--or is it?--Dahlgren doesn’t witness the murder. Instead, he’s immediately suspected of the crime. He’s been framed. In an effort to defend himself, he must resort to the skills learned in Special Ops, skills he had hoped he’d never need again. As he delves further into the case, he finds himself embroiled with a band of neo-Nazi-type militia; a deadly serious, radical environmental movement; a colony of peaceful Hutterites; a kilt-wearing clandestine cattleman’s organization; and the FBI. All the while, he is led down a twisted path of discovery and into the darkest moments of Mormon history. Full of action, humor, tremendous suspense, and peopled with wonderfully surprising characters--from a Jewish deli-owner/scholar to a brilliant and taciturn ranch foreman to the former beauty-queen wife of the murder victim-- Blood Atonement is a winner. Tenuto’s agile style and lightning-fast pace will make the world impatient for the next Dahlgren Wallace mystery. Meet Dahlgren Wallace, college football player turned marine special ops soldier turned fly-fishing guide turned reluctant detective. All Dahlgren wants, at this stage of his life (he is a veteran of the Gulf War) is a little peace and quiet. But when the billionaire he has been guiding down a Montana river is murdered, Dahlgren instantly becomes the prime suspect, and he has to use all of his special-forces training to extricate himself from the predicament. The author, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, packs his first novel with plenty of verisimilitude: everything feels authentic, from the fly-fishing to the vaguely neo-Nazi militia. Yes, the premise is a little shopworn--how many novels begin with an ordinary person turning sleuth to clear his name?--but Tenuto succeeds in distinguishing his novel from the run-of-the-mill amateur-sleuth adventure by combining a full-bodied, multidimensional hero with a believable, detail-rich story. (And don't forget all the quirky character names, Dahlgren Wallace to Elden Elderberry and Sully Feib). A strong debut that may make a fine series. David Pitt Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Funny, sharp, gritty Dahlgren Wallace is a Montana fly-fishing guide caught in the middle of a nasty war over land and history. Dahlgren is a former college football star, a veteran of the first Gulf War and a former member of the Marine Corps elite Force Recon. He thought he had put the world of intrigue and special forces behind him by becoming a fly-fishing guide. He's the river keeper and guide on an expansive, private Montana river owned by a media mogul. When the novel opens, Dahlgren is guiding when his boss's latest guest is bludgeoned to death, practically under Dahlgren's nose. Dahlgren is immediately suspected of the crime. In an effort to defend himself, Dahlgren must resort to the skills he learned in Special Ops-skills he had hoped he'd never need again. As he delves further into the case, he finds himself embroiled with a band of Neo-Nazi-type militia; a radical environmental movement; a colony of peaceful Hutterites; a kilt-wearing clandestine cattleman's organization; and the FBI. All the while, he is led down a twisted path of discovery and into the deepest recesses of Mormon history. Full of action, laugh-out-loud humor, and tremendous suspense and peopled with wonderfully surprising characters-from a Jewish deli-owner/scholar to a former Miss Utah - Blood Atonement is a winner. Tenuto's agile style and lightning-fast pace will make the world impatient for the next Dahlgren Wallace mystery. Jim Tenuto , a 1975 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, Lynn. His short fiction has appeared in Gray’s Sporting Journal , California Fly Fisher , and Sporting Classics . He is currently at work on the second Dahlgren Wallace mystery, Blood Knots .