The Lure by S.W. Hubbard follows the detection efforts of Frank Bennett, chief of police in the small Adirondack town of Trout Run, NY. A young woman, Mary Pat Sheehan, died at the wheel in a car crash, and the medical examiner reveals that Mary Pat did not die in the crash but rather from septicemia after having just given birth to a baby no one had any idea she was expecting. Trying to track down the baby leads Frank to an underground, illegal adoption agency that has been taking babies from white women and selling them to couples. Tracking down the couple who wanted to adopt Mary Pat’s baby, Frank discovers that they were introduced to the girl and then told that complications would require a substantial additional sum that they couldn’t afford to pay. But Frank needs to figure out who is behind this illegal scam agency that allowed Mary Pat to give birth outside a hospital and led to her death when they didn’t provide proper medical care to her.
In the meantime, a political environmental group has moved into town to protest the tourist nature tourist destination called Raging Rapids, a place that has a good safety and environmental record, so this protest makes little sense. Then, Nathan Goldberg, the leader of the movement, gets killed in what is staged as an ordinary car accident. Frank now has two cases to investigate.
I really enjoyed my experience listening to The Lure. The book has many fun details, being less intense than the Palmyrton Estate Sale series written also by Hubbard. However, it still contains the depth of the harder core series, with disparate threads that seem to be unrelated but which blend together by the conclusion. The plot is fascinating and kept me listening to the book without wanting to pause it. Besides the creative plot, this book also has relatable characters who made me feel that I knew them personally. The setting in the Adirondacks added a unique touch of flavor, being a location I’ve never encountered before in a book. Frank has lived in Trout Run for two years, so he sees the community as an outsider who is gradually becoming an insider. This gives us a greater sense of the people who live there.
Danny Campbell performs the delightful audio edition of this book. He suits the mountain region he is voicing without making the people seem backwards or like hicks. Using good expression, Campbell makes listeners feel as if they are visiting Trout Run in person.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening to The Lure, a book that brought me a lot of pleasure. I highly recommend it to everyone, especially the audio version, and I give it five stars.
Disclaimer: I was given this book for free for review purposes, but that had no influence on the content of my review.
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