Fatal Trust by Todd M. Johnson (Bethany House Publishing)

My thoughts:  One never knows when opening a book by an author one has never read before just what to expect. Will it be enjoyable? Will it be intense? Will it entertain? Just what will this author convey to the reader, and will I come back for more?

I can honestly say that this novel had me turning the pages wanting to know just what else young Ian Wells - attorney, loving son, good guy - will stumble into next. I thoroughly enjoyed Todd M. Johnson's writing style and the way he was able to keep my attention and weave the story of a young man, a law firm, lots of money, and long ago crimes all the while featuring the sad truth of a mother in the throes of Alzheimer's.

Mystery, suspense, touch of romance (squeaky clean), unsolved crimes of years past, quirky personalities, good guys, tough guys. Guns and secrets.

As this young attorney begins investigating and delving into the simple case of disbursing a trust fund, he finds himself joyfully facing an unprecedentedly large fee to perform his responsibilities and an unrealistically limited number of days in which to do so. Coupled with these facts is his recurring dream of a time in his childhood that seems to have some connection to the people involved in the trust.

When I discovered the bad guy in the story, I was totally surprised. This is a must read. Todd M. Johnson draws from his knowledge as a practicing attorney and weaves legalese well into the narrative. This is an author I'll be watching heretofore.

About the book: A Simple Job. An Unbelievable Payout. But in Risking It All On Blind Trust, He May Just Lose Everything . . .

Ian Wells is a young, ambitious Minneapolis attorney struggling to build up a law practice while caring for a mother with Alzheimer's. As the stress and bills mount, Ian is nearing the breaking point when everything changes with a single new case. All Ian must do, the client demands, is judge whether three men qualify for nine million dollars of trust funds soon to be paid out by determining whether they've been involved in any criminal activity for the past twenty years. Ian's fee for a week's work: the unfathomable sum of two hundred thousand dollars.

The job seems too good to be true, and Ian wants to turn the offer down, but his needs weigh more heavily. He warily accepts the job--but is quickly dragged deep into a mystery linking the trust money to an illegal enterprise dating back to Prohibition and the greatest unsolved crime in Minnesota history. Ian soon finds himself the target of a swiftly tightening criminal investigation--realizing too late that this so-called simple job has spun out of control and now threatens his career, his future, and his life.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy by Bethany House publishers to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own and freely given.