An Accidental Family

"What's hidden in the Winding Stair Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma?" The secret is . . . . . Seth Whitman of Native American extraction, and his partner, Jake are on a stake out on the mountain looking for the Slaughter twins. Seth knows that they were instrumental in his brother, Lane's death and probably the ones that killed Lane's girl friend. In sneaking up the rocky trail he runs into 3 terrified boys from Big Cedar Camp for troubled boys. Dillon, Maddy and Aaron had been bound with duck tape but managed to elude their captors. Seth called Jake to come up and escort the boys down the treacherous trail. He has placed himself, in the dark, at the very position where he could see anyone coming or going. Suddenly there is a bobbing light coming up the trail and a woman hollering for the boys. Just as a rapling rope was dropped a few feet from where Seth was hidden. Oh boy, was there trouble now. The Slaughters took off and Seth had his hands full with a furious woman. She thought she was being attacked. You will thoroughly enjoy the tale as it progresses in Seth becoming responsible for the safety of 3 troubled boys - helping them to learn to get along with people - handling his attraction to Rainey Chapman, who will not willingly get involved with a cop - and how he determinedly sticks to his plan of retribution for Lane's death. He hides them up in the mountains with Rainey's grandmother, Grace. Grace and Seth teach the boys a bit about responsibility. Although he doesn't cure Dillon of lying. Dillon swipes a number of articles. A skull which the Slaughters want back, a straight blade razor and would you believe he tried to take the jeep on a joy ride. Yet there is a mystery to be worked out in the death or disappearance of KayAnn - what was the information that Lane had gotten? He was a cop also. This is again one of the better stories with plenty of substance to it. The characters become very personal and persueing the trail of the villian becomes attention getting. It is wonderful to see how a man's influence can work on troubled boys. Although understandable, Rainey's troubled attitude to her father's death does not speak well of her maturity. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - well worth reading.