Books: The Man Everyone Was Afraid Of By Joesph Hansen (1978)

 

“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.”

In the fourth book in this series, Dave Brandstetter we see our trusty, but hard-boiled insurance investigator at somewhat of a crossroad. His father is ill, perhaps close to death, and his relationship with Doug seems more doomed than ever –also considering Doug’s mother is also ill, which has forced Doug to shut down her business and try putting her in a convalescence home. Also, Doug apparently has taken another lover. All of these domestic aspects play against a pretty tight little whodunit, where Dave goes up against a small town 250 miles north of Los Angeles, owned by corruption and hero worship. And like any small town, its secrets must be kept –even if everyone may know about them.

Again, it’s a complex tale only let down by a contrived ending. I mean Dave spends the entire book trying to come up with a plausible alternate suspect only for the reader to discover, in the last few chapters, that a whole parade of people came to visit the Chief the night he was murdered, saw his dead body and then scampered away without calling anyone, thus seemly, content with the idea that an innocent (but gay) man will be convicted. I know Hansen is trying to say most people are horrible human beings and will do anything to keep themselves free from the law, but even Agatha Christie (known to do this from time to time) might raise a finger and point out how convoluted this ending was.