Book looks at revenge deaths from tainted baby formula

This week, I picked an e-book, Susan C. Miller’s “Summer Storm.” It is one of several featuring Houston Police Detective Noah Daugherty.

It is another sweltering day when Noah and his partner, Conner Crawford, are called to the exclusive enclave where the body of Madlyn Gwinn has been found. It was assumed that she drowned in her hot tub after taking Xanax and drinking several glasses of wine. Too many things at the scene convince Noah that this was no accident.

Gwinn was CEO of Beneficial Products, a baby formula company that specialized in the special needs of sick babies. Under her guidance, the company sales and stock soared. Getting there earned her lots of enemies.

Houston is a big city, so this isn’t their only case.

A couple of weeks ago, Junior Reddin’s parents were burned to death, leaving Junior as their sole heir. Kelly Mannus lived with Junior and stated that he’d been home with her on the night in question. Noah has deep doubts and visits Kelly to warn her that she’d be in real danger any time Junior felt he didn’t need her. She admits that the beer he gave her that night must have hit hard, as she fell and hit her head as he helped her to bed.

Noah immediately suspects that Kelly had been drugged and asked where the bandages were. As he is balancing on a pallet trying to search through the overripe garbage, Junior returns and a struggle ensues. When the fiasco ends, Noah has sustained a nasty cut on his shin, Junior is in handcuffs and the sheriff’s department is in charge. Noah has the information he wants, but it could put the case at risk due to how it was obtained. None of this improves Noah’s mood.

Only 14 months ago, his world was destroyed when his wife, Betsy, and their unborn baby died in a car crash. The only thing keeping Noah from ending his own life is his love for his sister and her children and his concern for his partner/best friend and his pregnant wife, Jeannie.

Hunting down killers is what keeps him going day to day. When Noah and Conner arrive to interview Beneficial’s new CEO, they hear that the man has been found dead in his home gym. Craig Spencer was a genius with finances and a fanatical body builder. It appears that he died when a barbell fell across his neck.

Once again, this was no accident. Only days later, they are called to the home of a doctor who touted the benefits of Beneficial Products. The endorsement erased the elderly doctor’s debt. It may look like suicide, but it is another coincidence the detectives can’t believe.

Both Noah and Conner have strong gut feelings that the deaths all connect back to Beneficial. They have a long list of suspects, but no firm candidates. When Hurricane Charlotte hits bringing chaos and an emergency C-section for Conner’s wife, Noah gets an unexpected emotional wake up call.

The event also triggers an interest in an unlikely suspect. Little by little, they uncover the pain-filled story behind the killings. How many families were destroyed by the contaminated formula sold by Beneficial Products? Both men can understand the killer’s deep need to topple the company and the urge to seek revenge, but they must also uphold the law. This case offers Noah an amazing amount of food for thought concerning his future.

AT A GLANCE

BOOK: “Summer Storm”

AUTHOR: Susan C. Miller

PUBLISHER: Stanford Publishing

PUBLISHED: Jan. 17, 2017

PAGES: 286

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