Blunt Force Trauma

The Adam Cash Series, Book 1

By: Jeff Kerr

Narrated by: Ric Chetter

An innocent man doesn't run. He fights.

Award-winning author Jeff Kerr draws on his deep attachment to Texas and the great Western novel to produce the gripping crime thriller Blunt Force Trauma. Packed with authentic characters and stunning twists, Kerr's masterfully crafted cowboy stew of action and suspense kicks off the Adam Cash series with a double-barreled bang.

Returning to small-town Pinyon, Texas after two combat tours in Afghanistan, Adam Cash sets his sights on a deputy sheriff job. But Sheriff Griff Turner, the high school bully who has despised Cash for years, is only too pleased to slam that door in his face.

Haunted by memories of war and faced with the reality that the one who got away high school sweetheart, Edie is now lost to him forever, Cash's personal pressure cooker boils hotter. Furious, he launches a longshot campaign for Sheriff to depose Turner but loses in a landslide. And when Turner is found dead the very next day, all eyes—and all the evidence—point to Cash.

On the run and fighting to clear his name, Cash's secret investigation reveals a darker truth threatening to destroy countless lives. Only Cash can catch the killer and save the innocents, even as he gasps for one last desperate shot at Edie and redemption.

A lawman murdered. A war veteran framed. A sinister plot uncovered. One last shot at redemption.

If you like Craig Johnson and C.J. Box, then you'll love Blunt Force Trauma, the first thrilling installment in the Adam Cash Series. Get this book and catch all the action right from the start!

©2023 Jeff Kerr (P)2024 Jeff Kerr

A veteran and favorite son gets a rough homecoming

Adam Cash is a man deeply in love. He wants to rekindle his relationship with Edie James, the High School sweetheart he left behind to join the Army. He hopes to capitalize on his bachelor’s degree in criminology and his Police Academy training by gaining a job in law enforcement. Adam yearns to spend more time with his infant daughter Emma, even if Bernadette Fenster keeps pushing him away after burdening her with responsibility from their drunken one-night stand. But most of all, he loves his hometown of Pinyon, Texas. Adam wants to spend the rest of his life there and safeguard the small town's future. So why does Adam feel like he is on the outside looking in? Let's leap into Blunt Force Trauma and find out!

Story
Adam Cash returned home after serving two tours in Afghanistan and getting a degree at Sam Houston State University. At least, he returned to the house he grew up in. But his parents have traded Pinyon for a better life in Austin. Adam managed to talk them out of selling the house that generations of his family called home. He hopes to restore the surrounding acreage to encourage native wildlife. But all that takes money. And after a year in Pinyon, he's still stringing barbed wire for a pittance.

Opportunity beckons when the Pinyon Police advertise a vacancy on their website. Adam’s hopes rise when he gets an interview. But Sheriff Griff Turner harbors ill will toward Cash from their High School days. The interview escalates into a confrontation, with neither man believing he can work with the other. With his hopes in ruins, Adam sees little hope of remaining in Pinyon and pursuing his desired career. As he discusses his dilemma with his childhood friend Steve Jenkins, who runs Saddleback Brewing, Adam gets an idea. The local elections are approaching. If he can't serve Pinyon as a police deputy, perhaps he could protect it as the town's Sheriff?

Taking the spotlight doesn’t come easy for Adam. While he made it through college, he wishes his organizational skills were better. He knows someone who can help him. But will Edie James agree to organize his electoral campaign?

While Adam seeks to establish a foothold on his future, forces align against him. They bear him no malice. It's just business. And it's a dirty business, one the foulest ever conceived by man. Adam Cash makes an easy target. After fighting to win his dream job, Adam flees his home. Sure, Adam could run to his parents' house in Austin. They would doubtless hire lawyers to protect him. His father's HVAC business could fund his defense. But someone murdered Griff Turner, and the acting Sheriff of the Pinyon Police, Clovis Ward, is eager to arrest him. Adam has friends like Steve and Edie, who can help him. But there is only one person sufficiently driven to clear his name before the good people of Pinyon: Adam Cash.

As Adam investigates Sheriff Turner’s murder, he uncovers other reasons why Griff wouldn't want to hire him. Adam learns why a local frozen yogurt shop only opens two days each week. He discovers public servants who abuse their positions for personal gain. He even uncovers skeletons in his own family's closet. After his novel Refuge, Jeff Kerr once again shines a spotlight on the dangers facing those who hope for a better life by immigrating illegally to the United States. Jeff Kerr enhances Adam Cash's story by showing how Human Traffickers seize upon their prey and bend them to their will. It's a despicable business made possible by good people who, like Adam, need a little extra income and those who refuse to report the evildoers for fear of retaliation.

While Blunt Force Trauma makes for an enjoyable read, Ric Chetter’s narration advances the audiobook to the next level. Ric Chetter’s hard-bitten bass voice evokes an old cowboy sitting around a campfire, spinning a yarn for his fellow Texans after a long, hot day in the saddle. His voice handles male and female voices equally well and enthralled me from beginning to end. While I prefer music, I occasionally listen to audiobooks or podcasts when I walk. I must admit that when I faced high temperatures, low energy, or a bad mood, I had to trade Chetter's narration for music to power through my walk. But when temperatures fell, and I felt happy and energetic, I returned to Blunt Force Trauma.

Final Thoughts
Jeff Kerr discusses weighty issues as he spins an entertaining story and brings all his storylines to a satisfying conclusion, leaving me happy that I listened to the audiobook of Blunt Force Trauma.

A 4 1/2 star murder mystery

Blunt Force Trauma (The Adam Cash series Book 1), my first read from authorJeff Kerr. An enjoyable well-written, murder mystery, which looks to be the first in a series of. “I received a Audibdle copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review." The gifting of this book did not affect my opinion of it. The next book in the series is Second Death (The Adam Cash series Book 2) which I'll have to read after reading this book. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

Interesting story and interesting characters. Tried but didn’t figure out the ending—good!

Not all evangelicals are hypocritical, just like not all lawmen and politicians are dirty. Thanks!