Muddy Water

by Tom Steele

What lies below the waters of the abandoned Hennepin Canal? The canal has been turned into a bike trail, stretching thirty-two miles through the center of rural Henry County. The best time to enjoy the trail is September, when the weather is moderate and the landscape ablaze with color. People from all over Illinois travel the pathway and enjoy the beautiful fall countryside. But county residents ride the trail with apprehension, for they believe the scattered remains of Katie Karver lie somewhere beneath the canal's murky waters. Amid the splendor of autumn colors and the apprehensions of the citizenry, freshman Sheriff Mike Armstrong plans his political campaign and aspires to become the county's longest-serving law officer. But with startling abruptness, unresolved questions of Katie's murder rise to torment the sheriff. Her ghost becomes a major obstacle to the sheriff's re-election dream.and more. As the mystery engulfs Mike and seven others in tragedy, he must reopen a case long grown cold. About the Author: Tom Steele is a retired high school teacher. During his career in education, Tom's teaching abilities were recognized with the following honors: the PTA Educator of the Year Award, the Western Illinois Master Teacher Award, the Illinois State Board of Education Award of Excellence, the Channel One Teacher Award, a USA Today Teacher Team Award, the American Councils Excellence in Teaching Award, the U.S. State Department Russian-American Art Exchange Award, and four Western Illinois University's Most Inspirational Teacher Awards. Tom served as a Staff Sergeant in Cu Chi, Vietnam and is the recipient of two Army Accommodation Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. He hasresided in Henry County with his wife, Linda, for thirty years and has been a member of the Henry County Board for seven years. He is currently the Chairman of Henry County Administration Committee.

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

My high school history teacher wrote this book subtitled: "Romance and Murder in Henry County". Henry County is the rural county where I grew up so I found all of the references to my hometown to be amusing. The characters are also realistic for the area. The plot was good and kept me intrigued, but the writing was occasionally a bit awkward. Probably if you are not from the area - it is more of a 3 star book.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little far-fetched for Henry County (where I live, by the way!). And I soooo couldn't deal with all of the typos! Seriously! I enjoyed the story and it was fun to hear about Colona, Geneseo, Wolf Road, Davenport, Bettendorf, Kewanee, etc. and actually KNOW where those places are!

[April Roth · Rating 2 out of 5]

hmmm, thought this book was kind of random and did not tie things up neatly at all. Left me wanting a lot more.

[Jill]

Hard to get into at first...then I couldn't put it down at the end.