Dave Brandstetter #04: The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of

by Joseph Hansen

Paperback, 1981

Library's rating

Rating

½ (38 ratings; 3.8)

Publication

Henry Holt & Co (P) (1981), Paperback, 181 pages

Description

In the small town of La Caleta, Dave Brandstetter investigates the murder of a very unpopular cop When Ben Orton's head is found bludgeoned by a heavy flower pot, the people of La Caleta are stunned--not because their police chief has been murdered, but because no one thought to do it sooner. A bruising, violent man, Ben had a commitment to order that did not always take the law into account. But as insurance investigator Dave Brandstetter is about to find out, the corruption in Ben's police force did not die with him.   By the time Dave arrives in the fading fishing town, a young activist has already been arrested for the murder. Only Dave seems to care that the evidence against the accused is laughably thin. As the people of La Caleta try their best to thwart his investigation, Dave must do whatever it takes to catch Ben's killer.   The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of is book four in the Dave Brandstetter Mystery series, which also includes Troublemaker and Skinflick. … (more)

Language

Original language

English

Media reviews

User reviews

LibraryThing member ocgreg34
In the small coastal California of La Caleta, someone killed Police Chief Ben Orton, much to the surprise of everyone in town. Not because he was a good cop, but because he was a hard man that no one dared to cross. Of all his enemies, the police arrested Cliff Kerlee, a gay activist who had
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threatened Orton recently and publicly. One person, though, doesn't believe he's the guilty party. Dave Brandstetter pays a visit to La Caleta to investigate the death on behalf of his employer, Medallion Life Insurance. The townsfolk don't talk much, Orton's family is downright hostile, and Kerlee has an airtight alibi. But the closer he comes to uncovering the truth, the more someone in this sleepy little town wants him as dead as Orton.

"The Man Everybody Was Afraid Of" is a tight little mystery with the perfect amount of twists that kept even me guessing as to what really happened to Orton. Plus, I like Brandstetter. He's an openly gay man but doesn't let what people might think -- even in the late 1970s, which is the setting of the story -- interfere his desire to get to the truth behind Orton's death, no matter who the culprit may be. And he's smart, always thinking one step ahead to keep himself out of too much trouble. It's a smart mystery and a great addition to Hansen's series of novels featuring Brandstetter.
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