Tim Blewett

The Heart of the Beholder Tim Blewett

Mike O'Donnell, returning war hero from Afghanistan, has just settled into, well barely, his job as Chief of Operations of the Redding, California Police Department when his life takes a turn that he'd hoped for most of his adult life. He has just recently discovered Jo Beebe, the only woman he'd ever loved, who had disappeared from his life eight years before for reasons he still didn't understand, was a doctor in Redding. Neither had known the other was there; however, when she came to the police for help because two low-lifes from her early school days were attempting to black mail her, Mike was there to greet her. Needless to say, the two former lovers are shocked to see the other. Their relationship wants to pick up where it left off; however, there's still a lot of uncertainty. Jo Beebe was deeply hurt by something that had happened while they were in college. Mike now has some time to try to figure out all the ramifications about what had happened. The two low-lifes attempted to rape and kill Jo. They were killed during the attempt; however, Mike is seriously wounded in the gun battle. Now he is lying in a hospital bed recovering from surgery. The questions keep going through his mind. Why were Billy Conklin and Freddy Smith in Redding? Why did they try to kill Jo Beebe? Somebody must have put them up to it. And, why would someone try, and nearly succeed, to destroy Mike and Jo's love for each other. The story is far more convoluted than either Mike or Jo thought. There is more than one conspiracy going on. One is a conspiracy of evil. The other is a conspiracy of love. Theirs is not the only love story to be told, and the second is a bit unexpected. This is the first novel of nine in the series. It is followed by "The Narragansett Fork", "Musetta's Waltz", "Who Is Sylvia", "Five Love Stories en Brochette", "The Redhead and the PM", "St. George and the Dragon", "Soaring with Eagles", and "Love's Shame, Love's Salvation".