"Deceitful Above All Things" by Charles Hack

Hank Lin has returned home to the Lake Tahoe area. In his mid-30s, he thought he had an Army career as a criminal investigator, and a very good one, until his vehicle hit an IED, killing most of the people in his unit. He lost a close friend and his career; his back injuries were such that he was given a medical discharge. 

Now he’s home, attending the funeral of his father and visiting with his Colorado-based sister and her family. The service is led by Pastor Mason West, Hank’s boyhood best friend who’s senses the turmoil Hank’s experiencing and is determined to get him to talk about his faith. Also attending is Deputy Sheriff Sierra McLean, Hank’s former girlfriend whom he hasn’t seen for 15 years. She happens to be running for sheriff in the next election, replacing her own recently deceased father.

 

Sierra soon has a major case to investigate, one in which she herself finds the victim during a morning jog in the woods. And it quickly becomes personal – the dead man, an apparent suicide – is her uncle, a quality control consultant who’s been doing work for the big casino and resort development under construction. Because of Sierra’s personal connection, the mayor and the country chairman intervene, bringing in detectives from Reno. And the detectives seem less than competent.

 

Charles Hack

Hank helps Sierra determine that the crime is not a suicide but a murder. And since he’s at loose ends, he begins to quietly investigate on his own. And soon he’s drawn into another murder, corruption, and deception on a grand scale. 

 

Deceitful Above All Things is the first of the Hank Lin mysteries by Charles Hack. The title is taken from the Book of Jeremiah: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (verse 17:9, English Standard Version). It’s a well-paced, well-written story with interesting characters (including the minor ones) with a thrilling climax. It also nicely balances the discussions of faith, making them an important part of the story without overwhelming the story itself.

 

Hack is the author of the space opera / sci-fi Space Warfare Group novels. Deceitful Above All Things is his first Hank Lin mystery. He was a licensed electrical engineer for 20 years before retiring and beginning full-time Christian ministry. He’s currently a pastor and received a master’s degree in systematic theology. Hack lives with his family in Nevada.

 

Some Thursday Readings

 

“A Birthday,” poem by Christina Rossetti – Sally Thomas at Poems Ancient and Modern.

 

Poet Laura: Possibilities – Michelle Rinaldi Ortega at Tweetspeak Poetry.

 

Thinking About Wendell Berry’s Leftist Lament (and More) – Russell Arben Fox at Front Porch Republic.

 

Surrender at Appomattox: Photos and Drawings – National Review.

 

Great Neck, Westport, and The Great Gatsby: 99 Years Later – Eric Warner at WSHU.