Blue Springs: A Suspense Novel

by Peter Rennebohm

It was supposed to be a special weekend. A time for eleven-year-old Charlie Nash to spend quality time with his father and much loved dog, Taffy. The hunting weekend falls apart immediately as his drunken father runs another car off the road, has a dangerous confrontation with other hunters, and is arrested on the way home. The weekend is a disaster, a nightmare. It’s enough to dishearten any child and forces Charlie to consider running away from all the chaos. Set in 1955 Minnesota, Charlie’s journey with Taffy takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of action, mystery, and adventure as the boy is pursued by not one, but two separate, but equally focused killers intent on ending his life. Each of two evil men pursuing him have differing  Virgil Pisant has old scores to settle with Charlie’s father and plans to kidnap the boy in retribution. A hired killer named LaBette is sent to find the boy for a valuable collection of pennies Charlie has in his possession and will stop at nothing to find Charlie and his treasure. Charlie and Quill, a man he meets in his travels, become fast friends, helping each other to learn the virtues of honesty and forgiveness―all the while Quill must protect the boy from the unforeseen dangers that surround him. Blue Springs is an entertaining and exhilarating mystery, with captivating, charming characters. The intimate moments shared by Charlie and Quill are absorbing, honest, and, in the end, the old man’s compassionate character illuminates the dark world to which Charlie has been subjected. Their friendship grows and expands, enduring a heart-rending test of sacrifice and danger.

416 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2005

Reviews

[melydia · Rating 1 out of 5]

The year is 1955, and 11-year-old Charlie has problems. His father's a drunk (which for some reason takes multiple chapters and three separate incidents to get across; I get it, move on), so he runs away. Though the full title is "Blue Springs: A Suspense Novel," there isn't a whole lot of suspense. Some unbelievable bad guys chase after Charlie, but it's so obvious that all the good guys will emerge without a scratch that there's never any real tension. And the difference between good guys and bad guys is incredibly easy to spot. The characters are better described as caricatures, as everyone is either 100% good or 100% evil. To make matters worse, grammatical and typographical errors abound, distracting from the flow of the story.

To be fair, had there been no advertisement for suspense I may have felt somewhat more charitable. There's no excuse for the repeated punctuation abuse and overall sloppy writing, but as a family drama this plot just might work. I still would not have liked it - I don't watch made-for-TV movies on the Hallmark Channel either, after all - but my expectations would have been more realistic. The back cover is filled with good reviews so clearly there is an audience for this book somewhere. I just don't happen to be part of it.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm feeling generous so I'll give it 3-stars. That said I misplaced the book for a few weeks and didn't miss it at all. This is one of those stories where you wonder how it will get from point A to point B but you already know point B is a happy ending. Charlie runs away and is pursued by some "bad guys" and had several "OMG, bad things almost happened" incidents but he and his dog come out okay. The most suspenseful part of the book was wondering if the author was going to off the dog. A good escapism read.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Birthday Charlie Nash! It is Charlie’s 11th birthday. Charlie left school early on the morning of his 11th birthday looking forward to the best birthday ever. A hunting trip with his Dad and his dog, Taffy, was an event that Charlie had been looking forward to in the hope that this trip would be an event to remember. It is an event to remember but not as a fond memory. Charlie’s dad is a substance abuser and his son’s birthday doesn’t stop his drinking. He can’t control it even for his son’s birthday.

The only bright spot in the excursion is Charlie’s dog Taffy. Taffy is an excellent dog in the field and Charlie is proud of her. The trip home from the hunting cabin is a nightmare for Charlie. Charlie’s memories of the trip home result in his decision to run away from home. Charlie makes his plan and packs his few treasures including a coin collection given to him by his uncle. His big mistake is showing his collection to a dealer. The dealer realizes the value of the collection even though Charlie doesn’t.

Two separate men are chasing Charlie although Charlie is unaware of the fact that he is being pursued or that he has anything of value with him that someone might want.

Charlie and Taffy have some narrow escapes but Charlie has made a new friend in Quill. Without Quill Charlie and Taffy would not have survived. Quill is on his way home to Blue Springs, South Dakota to try and seek forgiveness from his family for something that happened in the past. Quill takes Charlie under his wing and takes him to meet his family.

Quill and Charlie have quite an adventure. Taffy is smart and faithful dog and Charlie is lucky to have her.

Blue Springs is a good story with some happy thoughts and sad thoughts and some very terrifying moments. A good read.

[Laurie]

Really enjoyed this book. It is called a suspense novel and it is a bit suspenseful, but it is mostly a story of relationships and the power of friendship. The only things that bothered me were the use of "msll" for "maul" and excessive use of commas. I liked the historical setting and the location of the novel.

[Lily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its ok it kinda drags on from time to time but its just fine

[Darren Kirby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book by Peter. Very true-to-life story.