Sterling V. Young

A Force to Be Reckoned With: a Tom Padgett Mystery Sterling V. Young 1st edition

A Force To Be Reckoned With
Book 2 of the Reckoning Trilogy

A bold arsonist is on the loose.
Who killed Fugate, a wife beating rapist?
An infamous drug dealer comes back home.

When his rural trailer burns, Tom Padgett relies on instinctive police training to track down the scum responsible. His normally cool composure disappears when he threatens the lowlife he believes to be the arsonist. Is the genie coming out of the bottle?

Sheriff Bill Wilson is obsessed with Padgett. He concocts a trap to expose Tom by tracking down Padgett's former psychiatrist and ex-wife. Wilson's whiskey habit worsens and erodes any professionalism that he may have once had. His disregard of evidence that could solve some crimes continues. In his mind, all crimes are committed by one man only.

When Becky Adkins returns to Kentucky from her hideout in Tennessee, she re-establishes her drug dealing profession in Paris. Recognized by one of her former users, Becky becomes trapped in a web of conspiracy.

As Wilson's tactics begin to pay off, Padgett becomes more volatile. Simple things seem to provoke him. His dreams, that had seemed to be lessening, are getting worse. He begins to worry about his state of mind and his involvement in the violent events that are happening around him. Meanwhile, Wilson's blackouts are more frequent. As each of them struggle with their inner demons, events spiral out of control and end with a deadly outcome.