Parallel Lies

Ridley Pearson

Peter Tyler had been a cop. But he lost his job after he beat a child-abusing man nearly to death. Now he is barely hanging on. He has been offered a special temporary job with the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate a series of derailments for the Northern Union Railroad. He has a friend working there. This could lead to a permanent job for him.

His first piece to check is the site of a murder. A hobo appears to have been attacked for his chili. He killed his attacker and fled. Now Tyler meets up with Northern Union detective Nell Priest. She already knows his history. But she starts working with him and overlooks his past. At the beginning they are working at odds because she is working for the railroad and he for the government. But as they learn more about the derailments and the suspect, they soon are working together.

Umberto Alvarez, the man responsible for the train derailments, is working toward a major goal. He has a serious grudge against Northern Union Railroad. They have brushed him off and quashed his law suit. When his lawyer died, so did the suit. The only way he feels he can get justice is by terrorism. The Northern Union has a new fast train being debuted soon. If he can get through the heavy security to that maiden run, he will be able to make his statement.

In this age of the airplane, Parallel Lies reminds the reader that trains still are a viable force in the United States. Ridley Pearson has built a suspense in a realistic setting, using the freight systems across the country and the passenger system that is very active up and down the East coast. At times during the novel I wanted to root for the antagonist because Pearson makes his tale of woe very believable. Of course, I also wanted to see Tyler succeed and get back to full time work.

The short novel is worth the time. It's never edge of seat suspense, but the characters and situation keep the reader's interest. Don't expect anything great and you'll enjoy yourself reading this.

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