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Tough love…or torture?
When a tough-love school for troubled teens opens its doors in Trout Run, the locals are thrilled. The North Country Academy promises more jobs and more money flowing into town. But Police Chief Frank Bennett is concerned about the arrival of so many juvenile delinquents on his turf. When an Academy teacher is mauled to death by a bear while leading wilderness expedition, Frank’s worst fears are confirmed. Evidence points to sabotage. As Frank investigates, he learns more about the school’s controversial techniques: isolation, restraints, and mind control. . He meets students who might be terrified…or might be brilliant liars. And he uncovers disturbing information about the Academy’s headmaster. What is more impressive? His track record of putting teens back on the right path? Or his skill in covering up past scandals? When an Academy student turns up dead, Frank must unravel a knot of deceit and revenge whose threads lead right into the heart of the Trout Run community. Frank’s pursuit of the truth brings him up against a hard choice every good cop dreads.
When a tough-love school for troubled teens opens its doors in Trout Run, the locals are thrilled. The North Country Academy promises more jobs and more money flowing into town. But Police Chief Frank Bennett is concerned about the arrival of so many juvenile delinquents on his turf. When an Academy teacher is mauled to death by a bear while leading wilderness expedition, Frank’s worst fears are confirmed. Evidence points to sabotage. As Frank investigates, he learns more about the school’s controversial techniques: isolation, restraints, and mind control. . He meets students who might be terrified…or might be brilliant liars. And he uncovers disturbing information about the Academy’s headmaster. What is more impressive? His track record of putting teens back on the right path? Or his skill in covering up past scandals? When an Academy student turns up dead, Frank must unravel a knot of deceit and revenge whose threads lead right into the heart of the Trout Run community. Frank’s pursuit of the truth brings him up against a hard choice every good cop dreads.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 26, 2005
756 people are currently reading
215 people want to read
About the author
S.W. Hubbard
32 books453 followersS.W. Hubbard writes the kinds of books she loves to read: twisty, believable, full of complex characters, and highlighted with sly humor. She is the author of the Palmyrton Estate Sale Mystery Series and the Frank Bennett Adirondack Mountain Mystery Series, as well as the Life in Palmyrton Women's Friendship Fiction Series. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and the anthologiesDead Drift, Crimes by Moonlight, The Mystery Box, andAdirondack Mysteries. When not writing, she hikes with her rescue dog, Libby, and her husband. She lives in Morristown, NJ.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 2, 2015
S.W. Hubbard has nailed it again with the 3rd in the Frank Bennett Adirondack Mysteries, Dead Drift. This story, like the others, is complex, suspenseful and very fast paced. The characters are amazingly well written and so well rounded that I often feel they could leave the Kindle screen and speak to me.
I hope there are many more of these to come because I love them and I'm hooked. I found the first book in the series just a week ago and now I've read all three! You can't go wrong reading anything written by this author, that's for sure.
I hope there are many more of these to come because I love them and I'm hooked. I found the first book in the series just a week ago and now I've read all three! You can't go wrong reading anything written by this author, that's for sure.
April 21, 2017
Another strong addition
I'm so glad to have found this author,and this story is another hit on the series for me. Small town cop but still dealing with several serious crimes and all tied up by the end
Looking forward to the next one. Recommended highly.
I'm so glad to have found this author,and this story is another hit on the series for me. Small town cop but still dealing with several serious crimes and all tied up by the end
Looking forward to the next one. Recommended highly.
April 10, 2017
Blood Knot
This is a very good series. I am really enjoying it. It is a very good suspense thriller. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I recommend this series.
This is a very good series. I am really enjoying it. It is a very good suspense thriller. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I recommend this series.
October 3, 2021
Frank, my favorite small-town Adirondack police chief, investigates two murders at a boarding school for troubled teenagers. Lots of threads in this one that get tied together nicely.
June 1, 2020
3 + actually. I enjoyed the plot but not so much the writing style nor the physical setting. (Note: I live in the Mohawk valley, near the Adirondack foothills.) I have another in the series on my Kindle. I expect that I will also enjoy it with the same caveats.
March 20, 2019
Blood Knot
This is a clean mystery that kept me guessing until the end. It does not have any gruesome murder details or anything that will give you nightmares. I would recommend it to everyone.
This is a clean mystery that kept me guessing until the end. It does not have any gruesome murder details or anything that will give you nightmares. I would recommend it to everyone.
November 22, 2017
I thought this story was outstanding. It has excellent characterization and the quirky small town detail woven into a superb plot that is complex and fast paced, with plenty of twists and turns to keep a reader guessing. It is wrapped up with a satisfying resolution. The crimes are serious without the gore that feature in other books. For anyone who enjoys a police procedural, I recommend this series.
March 7, 2021
Great outdoor mystery series
This is my first Frank Bennett mystery, and now that I finished it I wish I had started with the first in the series not the second. (Given how large my TBR shelf is I may own "The Lure" and just haven't come to it yet!) There are no cliffhangers and this novel can be read as a stand alone. Yet, I could tell that what is so clever about Ms. Hubbard's characters is that with each book you learn more about Frank Bennett and his support characters.
The world of Trout Run, New York is crafted so that you can see the town clearly and if travelling the Adirondacks you would be tempted to find the hidden turn-off that takes you there so you could meet these wonderfully quirky towns people yourself. The fact that you feel you know these people as you catch a ride in Frank's head is the best part of reading this mystery. The characters are so well-developed it is easy to fall in love with Trout Run, Frank Bennett and all of his friends, and never want to leave!
If that's not enough to make you grab this novel and the rest of the series, it's available on Kindle Unlimited and so it's also affordable. No waiting for just the right deal before I grab the rest of the series. My only problem is I may want to make S. W Hubbard and her Frank Bennett mysteries a permanent part of my mystery shelf. Oh so many books and so little time and money to read them all!
Pick up Blood Knot by S. W. Hubbard! I promise you won't be disappointed!
This is my first Frank Bennett mystery, and now that I finished it I wish I had started with the first in the series not the second. (Given how large my TBR shelf is I may own "The Lure" and just haven't come to it yet!) There are no cliffhangers and this novel can be read as a stand alone. Yet, I could tell that what is so clever about Ms. Hubbard's characters is that with each book you learn more about Frank Bennett and his support characters.
The world of Trout Run, New York is crafted so that you can see the town clearly and if travelling the Adirondacks you would be tempted to find the hidden turn-off that takes you there so you could meet these wonderfully quirky towns people yourself. The fact that you feel you know these people as you catch a ride in Frank's head is the best part of reading this mystery. The characters are so well-developed it is easy to fall in love with Trout Run, Frank Bennett and all of his friends, and never want to leave!
If that's not enough to make you grab this novel and the rest of the series, it's available on Kindle Unlimited and so it's also affordable. No waiting for just the right deal before I grab the rest of the series. My only problem is I may want to make S. W Hubbard and her Frank Bennett mysteries a permanent part of my mystery shelf. Oh so many books and so little time and money to read them all!
Pick up Blood Knot by S. W. Hubbard! I promise you won't be disappointed!
December 21, 2018
I started to read the first book and by page 3 something happened to me that hasn’t happened for quite some time ! I could NOT put the book down ! The story pulled me in and held me hostage past the conclusion, then held my interest steady as I was now pulled into yet another story.
The novelettes then took their turn in grabbing and holding my attention and I see that I read the entire night AND I’m now buying this authors other Frank Bennett mystery series book. Well written, realistic in action and life, though there are a few typos missed by the editor they are very few and far between. I recommend the entire series to everyone including any other books this author has penned !! A skilled and talented story teller of the first magnitude !!!!!!! YES !
The novelettes then took their turn in grabbing and holding my attention and I see that I read the entire night AND I’m now buying this authors other Frank Bennett mystery series book. Well written, realistic in action and life, though there are a few typos missed by the editor they are very few and far between. I recommend the entire series to everyone including any other books this author has penned !! A skilled and talented story teller of the first magnitude !!!!!!! YES !
January 21, 2020
Another Great Mystery
This is the3rd book in the Frank Bennet. North Country Academy is a tough love juvenile school in Trout Run. It has provided much needed jobs with generous hourly wages. Frank is called to the property because one of the Pathfinders has been mauled to death by a bear during a camping trip. He and the state investigators soon learn that the dead mans sleeping bag had been soaked in cooking grease, a delicacy the local bears love. This is the mystery to be solved and there are lots of side stories to keep you turning pages as Frank narrows down the suspect pool. Ms Hubbard has done it again. I will be downloading her next Frank Bennet as soon as I press “return”.
This is the3rd book in the Frank Bennet. North Country Academy is a tough love juvenile school in Trout Run. It has provided much needed jobs with generous hourly wages. Frank is called to the property because one of the Pathfinders has been mauled to death by a bear during a camping trip. He and the state investigators soon learn that the dead mans sleeping bag had been soaked in cooking grease, a delicacy the local bears love. This is the mystery to be solved and there are lots of side stories to keep you turning pages as Frank narrows down the suspect pool. Ms Hubbard has done it again. I will be downloading her next Frank Bennet as soon as I press “return”.
April 14, 2018
This is a well written mystery peopled with lifelike characters and the feeling you might get if you talked with your neighbors more oftern. The mystery invovled a treatment school for teens who failed in previous educational institutions. The treatments given were not designed to work with all, but some improved, others became much worse. I liked the characters because they didn't seem all good or bad and they really presented a cross section of the townsfolk, educators, small town inhabitants and providers of law enforcement
March 2, 2023
Blood Knot
S.W. Hubbard
We’re back in Police Chief Frank Bennett’s Adirondack Mountain Town and we’re not here to sight see. A remote private academy has been converted to a militaristic reform school. On one of their pathfinder camping trips the leader’s tent is attacked by a bear and the man encased in his winter mummy bag is mauled to death. Things become suspicious when bacon grease is discovered on the remains of his sleeping bag. The owner/headmaster of the school is a martinet. As the story progresses the plot thickens.
S.W. Hubbard
We’re back in Police Chief Frank Bennett’s Adirondack Mountain Town and we’re not here to sight see. A remote private academy has been converted to a militaristic reform school. On one of their pathfinder camping trips the leader’s tent is attacked by a bear and the man encased in his winter mummy bag is mauled to death. Things become suspicious when bacon grease is discovered on the remains of his sleeping bag. The owner/headmaster of the school is a martinet. As the story progresses the plot thickens.
December 14, 2018
The North Country Academy has opened in Trout with its basic philosophy of tough love. But Chief of Police Frank Bennett is called in whena camping trip with a teacher and students goes wrong resulting in a death. But this is just the start of the problems for the school.
An enjoyable well-written mystery story with some well-developed characters.
An enjoyable well-written mystery story with some well-developed characters.
August 27, 2020
A weak four stars. Slightly better than the previous book in the series.
As before, I thought the handling of police matters could have been a lot better. Terrible interview skills all around.
Character development wasn’t bad, but also not great.
This author likes complex storylines. This is right on the edge of being too much—but better than the last book, so this got a fourth star.
As before, I thought the handling of police matters could have been a lot better. Terrible interview skills all around.
Character development wasn’t bad, but also not great.
This author likes complex storylines. This is right on the edge of being too much—but better than the last book, so this got a fourth star.
March 26, 2019
Another Good One
Well-done. The ending was sad, but also hopeful. Residential treatment centers can be so helpful. They can also be truly awful. Frank is a great character. Fun to see how his connection with Penny started, as I’ve only read the later books to this point.
Well-done. The ending was sad, but also hopeful. Residential treatment centers can be so helpful. They can also be truly awful. Frank is a great character. Fun to see how his connection with Penny started, as I’ve only read the later books to this point.
April 19, 2020
Excellent!
Wow! Another exciting adventure with mysteries galore! Troubled students in an expensive private tough love school keep causing incidents for Frank Miller and his small town of Trout Run. There are several mysteries, lots of suspects, and lots of liars. Enjoy!
Wow! Another exciting adventure with mysteries galore! Troubled students in an expensive private tough love school keep causing incidents for Frank Miller and his small town of Trout Run. There are several mysteries, lots of suspects, and lots of liars. Enjoy!
June 21, 2021
A nice comfortable crime book that takes place in the Adirondack Mts of New York and is part of the Frank Bennett series. He’s caught in the middle of a tough love school that is bringing jobs to his small town and concerns about the tactics they use.
November 4, 2021
This was a nice quaint story
I love the main character, so full of flaws and so relatable. Not sure I would call it an outdoors adventure but there was definitely mystery and entertainment.
I love the main character, so full of flaws and so relatable. Not sure I would call it an outdoors adventure but there was definitely mystery and entertainment.
November 10, 2021
Blood Knot
Another really good read. These stories are different from the ordinary mysteries. Love Frank and his way of looking at things. Interesting characters in a cool little mountain town.
Another really good read. These stories are different from the ordinary mysteries. Love Frank and his way of looking at things. Interesting characters in a cool little mountain town.
July 19, 2023
Another mystery solved. Not only did enjoy reading this book, I learned a little about what it's like to live around bears. As we get to know more about Frank, I like him more and more. I am truly enjoying this series.
March 1, 2018
This was a good one! Looking forward to the next!
May 17, 2018
Good story with believable plot
Set in a small rural town this author fills his story with humor, murder and lots of memorable characters,both good and bad.
Set in a small rural town this author fills his story with humor, murder and lots of memorable characters,both good and bad.
December 18, 2018
Each story gets better. Frank is a complicated guy. He doesn’t trust many
April 25, 2019
Another winner by S. W. Hubbard.
June 20, 2019
This is another great mystery series about a small town sheriff and those he protects.
February 15, 2020
Best in series at keeping you guessing
March 29, 2020
Well we'll well
Who would have thought that!! I did not see that coming until almost the end!!! What a great story and can not wa it for the next in this series!!
Who would have thought that!! I did not see that coming until almost the end!!! What a great story and can not wa it for the next in this series!!
April 13, 2020
Great whodunnit
Love this series. Frank Bennett is a great protagonist who gets the job done. Am really looking forward to the next installment.
Love this series. Frank Bennett is a great protagonist who gets the job done. Am really looking forward to the next installment.
June 2, 2020
Interesting
This story had very interesting characters. The plot rambled a little at times but finally wrapped up at the end.
This story had very interesting characters. The plot rambled a little at times but finally wrapped up at the end.
July 13, 2020
Exciting mystery centered around a school for disturbed and disruptive teens. Many interesting characters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews