Maelstrom

by Francis Guenette

A shot is fired into the still night air and a young woman dies on Suicide Ridge. A dangerous game has begun. Over the course of one blistering, hot week, winds of change sweep through an isolated valley in small town America. Sheriff Bert Calder, with the help of Mayor Amos Thatcher, has held the town of Haddon under his thumb for twenty-five years. As things spin out of control, Calder works the angles, ensuring he can make the most of the upheaval that is to come. Rafael Destino, facing his own mortality, races against time to gain control of the railroad – a lifeline essential to the town’s survival. His goal – to financially destroy Thatcher, the man he believes responsible for the death of his beloved sister. His tool – adopted son Myhetta. But how far down the road of revenge will Rafael push the young man who owes him everything? Myhetta is poised on the edge of controlling Destino Enterprises, the job he has been groomed for. While money, power and influence are his to command, the past continues to torment him. In a clash of powerful men, with fathers pitted against sons, no one will be left unscathed. Maelstrom is a page turner that speeds along like a runaway train.

467 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 2, 2015

About the author

Hi – my name is Fran Guenette and I’m a writer! You can check out my author's facebook page here - https://www.facebook.com/pages/franci...

I live in a small, off-the-grid cabin in a remote location, right beside a lake. My husband, Bruce and our elderly dog, Lawson keep me company.

Can you imagine a better setting for a writer? I can’t.

We have an alternate power system for our home –a combination of micro-hydro and solar electric panels. I write with a panoramic view of the lake every, single day.

Between May and September, Billy Bob the Bear drops over to graze on the green cover (we don’t have the nerve to call it grass) and eat huckleberries and salal berries. Now and then I spot the tracks of a cougar who has made his way across the property. Life is good here in the hinterlands.

I have a daughter and son – both happily married and pursuing interesting careers. I also have two beautiful and wildly funny granddaughters who constantly provide me with inspiration for writing.

For most of my life I have been an educator of one type or another. I have an MA in counselling psychology and an almost completed PhD in educational psychology. Enough said about that!

If you check out my blog you'll find out everything you ever might have wanted to know about me - from stories of my journey to self-publish my first novel to what kind of music gets me weepy.

Reviews

[Cathy Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Sheriff Bert Calder comes to tell Amos Tanner, the Mayor of Haddon, that Gracie Davison is dead, Amos’ wife Laura is eavesdropping on the conversation. She is sure her husband and the Sheriff have something to do with it. Laura knew Gracie from before she came to live in Haddon and is almost certain now who is responsible for all the bad things that happen in town. Her stepson Casey is running wild and Laura promises herself she’ll leave and take Casey with her. Casey experiences visions and dreams, able to ‘see’ past and future events when he touches an object or is close to someone.

Sheriff Calder, a cold and calculating man, capable of cruelty beyond comprehension, has been controlling the town by fear, with the help of Amos Tanner, for over twenty years. He considers himself too powerful and intimidating for anyone to end his reign of terror.

Rafael Destino, the Lord of Casa Destino, is working towards ruining Amos Thatcher, financially and emotionally. He holds Thatcher responsible for the suspicious death of the sister he loved and who Thatcher married. Rafael hopes his adopted son, Myhetta, will be able to bring about Thatcher’s destruction before his own death. Myhetta loves Rafael and feels beholden, even though Rafael’s strategy is sometimes a heavy burden.

Maelstrom hit the ground running and didn’t stop. Superb premise, compelling and well crafted story line. The characters are so well drawn and the setting very visual. The story includes, and deals with a lot, including murders, revenge, corruption and cruelty. Family connections are wide-spread, tangled and tricky.

A wonderfully diverse cast of characters make this story memorable for me. Good and bad, they are all well-portrayed and realistic. Myhetta is my favourite, complex and definitely flawed but at heart a good guy plagued by, and struggling with, the weight of responsibility he feels. His back story unfolds throughout and generates sympathy and understanding of how his past, what he endured, shaped the man he has become. Known amongst the townsfolk as breed, because of his mixed ancestry, he had a less than easy childhood until Rafael adopted him when he and Myhetta’s mother, Ahya, began a relationship.

Myhetta does everything he can to negate the Sheriff’s influence and help those he has harmed, most notably, Casey. After he and his friends steal alcohol from the liquor store Calder punishes Casey in a terrible way, which brings him to the Casa Destino and Myhetta.

The title is perfect and fits the story…’a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil’ Two vortexes swirling on a collision course, with Sheriff Calder at the centre of one and Myhetta at the heart of the other. The touch of supernatural with Casey is portrayed brilliantly and the relationship which develops between him and Myhetta is wonderful. Impressive writing and a powerful, captivating narrative, I loved it.

The story of how Francis Guenette came to write this book from her mother’s original, unpublished manuscript and notes is extraordinary. The whole process is explained at the end of the book and is a wonderful account which spans decades.

[N.A. Granger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maelstrom: turbulence, tumult, turmoil, chaos, confusion, upheaval. A perfect title for this book, which is based on a concept from her mother, but given form and substance by the author. Ms. Guenette’s mother worked on Maelstrom off and on for most of her life, leaving a two thousand page manuscript when she died. When Ms. Guenette found it, she was determined to get it published, making it hers in the process of winnowing, rewriting, expanding characters and giving it life and shape.
Maelstrom is also a perfect example of the journey of the archetypal hero found in world mythologies, as described by Joseph Campbell in his seminal work, The Hero with a Thousand Faces. The hero starts in the ordinary world and receives a call to adventure; along the way he or she must face tasks and trials either alone, or with assistance. If the hero survives, he or she may obtain the gift of important self-knowledge, which may be used to improve the world.
The hero in Maestrom is Myhetta, a young man also called the Breed, because of his mixed heritage. Born of the rape of his mother by the all-powerful Bert Calder, Sheriff of the isolated mountain town of Haddon, Myhetta and his mother Ahya, escape to the estate of Rafael Destino, head of Destino Enterprises. Rafael and Ahya become lovers, and Rafael raises Myhetta as his own son, schooled to take over his money, power and influence.
Rafael is now dying, but is still determined to ruin the man who married his sister Serena, then killed her; he is pushing Myhetta to exact his revenge. Myhetta is an imperfect hero: he is tormented by being his adopted father’s instrument of revenge and he drinks to excess and womanizes. But he has a generous heart and an intelligent mind.
As the story opens, the reader is immediately drawn into the world ruled by the Sheriff: Calder shoots and kills a young woman on Suicide Ridge, a murder that Myhetta witnesses. She is killed because she came to Haddon to investigate the rumors of corruption, and with Myhetta’s help had come too close to the truth.
Haddon is populated with colorful, well-drawn characters, whose lives are tragically influenced by the evil of Sheriff Calder, who has raped, maimed and murdered anyone challenging his absolute authority. His reign of terror is abetted by the mayor of Haddon, Amos Thatcher; Thatcher’s first wife was Serena Destino, sister of Rafael and she gave him a son, Casey, before her death.
Calder is the center of the maelstrom. One by one, the people he has harmed are helped by Myhetta, thus bringing down the wrath of Calder and stoking his determination to eliminate the Breed in a deniable way…when he can reach him. Myhetta is safe behind the gates and perimeter of the Casa Destino estate and is only vulnerable when he ventures into town.
An element of the supernatural touches the story in the person of Casey, who as Rafael’s nephew, has the gift of “second sight” – the ability to see the past and the future of those to whom he is emotionally attached. After Casey and his friends steal liquor from a local store, he is taught a lesson by Sheriff Calder at the behest of his father – he is beaten and the palms of his hands are each cut with deep X. In his physical agony and with the emotional impact that his own father had this done, Casey is inextricably drawn to Myhetta as a source of comfort and protection, For his safety, Myhetta brings Casey to stay at Casa Destino as Rafael’s ward, fulfilling Rafael’s wish to bring nephew into the fold. An additional interest to this reader was the existence of a family of wolves Myhetta has trained. They play an important role in search and rescue and in the protection of Myhetta, Casey, and those closest to them.
True to the hero myth, as Myhetta helps the people of Haddon, he gradually comes to accept his role as the new Patron of Destino Enterprises and the requirement that he care for the people who make it run.
If there is a fault in this saga, it lies with the number of characters and their complicated interrelationships. It took me a while to figure them all out, but once done, their stories wove into an intricate web of lies, deceit, gossip, and danger. Most of them are strongly written, although I found one of them, Casey’s mother and wife of Mayor Thatcher, to be a mass of contradictions, not all of which were clear.
This is a fairy long novel, but superbly written by an excellent wordsmith whose talent clearly derives from that of her mother – so there is a ghost who accompanies the book! Once I had the characters straightened out, I couldn’t put the book down and read deep into the night. I recommend it highly. An excellent and compelling read.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Francis Guenette is a superb author and with the help of her late mother has produced an epic story in Maelstrom.

The story about how Maelstrom was written is a story in itself which the author tells us about at the end of the book. Briefly, Ms. Guenette’s mother had worked on Maelstrom for most of her life. When she passed away she left a 2,000 page manuscript and notes that mysteriously vanished. Many years later they were discovered, even though the first thirty pages were missing. Ms. Guenette must have thought what a waste it would be, if this novel never saw the light of day. She was right.

Ms. Guenette added and deleted sections and of course had to rewrite the first thirty pages. When she had finished the collaborative novel was 479 pages.

It is a magnificent story told by two highly skilled wordsmiths, and under normal circumstances, I would’ve finished it in two nights. Unfortunately, I was working long hours and it wasn’t possible. As it turned out, it took a little over two weeks and this highlighted the novel’s only shortcoming. I thought there were too many characters, and I found myself using the search function of my Kindle to reacquaint myself with some of them. There is an art in character development and recognition that John Grisham has perfected. I can’t remember reading a Grisham novel where I was forced to backtrack because I couldn’t recall a character. In fairness to Ms. Guenette, I probably would not have had a problem had I finished it in two nights.

In summary, Maelstrom is a captivating story told by two superbly talented authors, and is a must read. My only criticism is the number of characters and my difficulty in remembering some of them. I’m a hard marker and I’ve deducted one star for this. If it was possible it would’ve been 4 ½ stars.

[Debbie Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting!

This book was a real page-turner. Full of action, drama, love and hatred, loyalty and betrayal. The sick, cruel sheriff had an unspeakable hold on everyone in the town.

[Colleen Chesebro · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Maelstrom,” is a novel rich with multidimensional characters who grapple with the turbulence of power, evil, and control in the small town of Haddon, somewhere in North American. Fear controls everyone in this novel to some degree with a darkness that I found intriguing. This is one of those novels that sucks you into the whirlwind of events from page one onward! I literally could not put this book down. The characters got into my head!

Sheriff Bert Calder is the consummate study of evil and the detrimental effects of an out of control ego and an overabundance of power. His character was one of the cruelest and most demented I have read in a long while. The wickedness of the man was just mind-boggling. Calder had no scruples. Rules did not bind him to family or to those of his elected office. At times, he came across to me as an omnipotent being which made for an even more exciting read. Calder is simply sinfully wicked.

In fact, all of the characters seemed to possess a multifaceted humanness which blurred the lines between good and evil. The protagonist, Myhetta fights the demons of his blood inheritance right along with the good fortune he inherited from his adopted father. Myhetta’s entire life balances between good and evil as he struggles with his past and his future. It is this deep struggle to find a balance within his own family that made me like Myhetta so much.

Myhetta’s half brother, Casey possesses a supernatural ability to feel and see what his brother experiences. A trait that ran through the Destino family once again emphasizes the strong connection to family and blood that remains as the central theme to this novel. To me, Francis Guenette is a master at depicting “family intrigue.” All the novels she has penned, that I have read, always have strong family connections portrayed by her characters.

It was no great surprise then when I learned that this story was the original creation of her mother, June Guenette. After her mother passed away in 1997, the unfinished manuscript disappeared within the confines of Francis’ family, remaining as only typewritten notes, and passages. Once rediscovered, the manuscript began a maelstrom transformation of its own with Francis reconstructing the story. I think June Guenette would have loved the resulting collaboration between mother and daughter sharing another link in the family chain.

If you are looking for a book that will take your breath away and leave you on the edge of your seat, look no further! Maelstrom will propel you into a vortex filled with hate and prejudices where the only way out is to find trust and love within your own family.

My Rating:

Character Believability: 5
Flow and Pace: 5
Reader Engagement: 5
Reader Enrichment: 5
Reader Enjoyment: 5
Overall Rate: 5 out of 5 stars

[Mari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maestrom review

As a fan of Francis Guenette’s Crater Lake series, I was interested to read this new book, a collaboration and edition of her late mother’s manuscript Maelstrom. Before purchase, I already knew from Guenette that it would be a very different novel, and of course wondered in what areas.

The story, which has been outlined by other reviewers, takes place not on the Canadian West Coast but in some arid, desert-like part of the USA. I was never sure where, but thought maybe New Mexico? And like Crater Lake books, in a small town setting, but a very different one. The town is dominated by its ruthless, amoral sheriff, though as the plot progresses we learn of the network of complicated relationships and special interests which has intensified his rule. Like the Crater Lake books, all turns on the damaged personalities involved, and how they interact: but in this setting, the damage is lethal, and the results are far more violent. It is indeed a book which surveys how tragically violent and destructive human beings can behave towards one another. The view of human is by no means the “Rousseau” one that we are all basically good: most of these characters could be said to be basically bad, weak, or both, and the author doesn’t hold back what we as a species are capable of, especially in male attitudes and actions towards women.

However, it is also a Francis Guenette book despite the differences. We can still discern her psychological training, experience, and knowledge, her concern for the fate of the mixed-race and Native Americans, her feminism (to give a name to something more subtle than that), and her ability to weave the consequences of damaged personalities for good or for destruction. This, as the story progresses, becomes increasingly obvious, and makes the book a page-turner. Her love and respect for wild and domestic animals is also in there.

She also weaves into it the boy who has what can be called ‘second sight’ (though it may have other names), also found in the Crater Lake books.

Recommended, unless you are a reader who prefers a rip-roaring good crime/adventure story to a study of how it is to be human in an isolated township and an arid setting. This is hard lives, hard survival, in an ‘unforgiving’ landscape. But it ends with some hope.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:

Title: Maelstrom
Author: Francis Guenette
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Number of Readers: 16
Stats
Editing: 8/10
Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 3/10
Of the 16 readers:
15 would read another book by this author.
1 thought the cover was good or excellent.
9 liked the title and thought it fitted the book.
6 thought the pacing of the story was the best part.
8 felt the writing style was the best part of the book; in particular, the way the author built up the suspense.
4 felt the story was a bit too depressing for them.
7 felt there were too many characters to keep a track on.

Readers’ Comments
‘A very, very enjoyable read. Very much a character-driven story. The North American town and landscape is well drawn and the almost ‘soap opera’ plot packed full of twist and turns. Sadly, it was let down by the cover. When everybody saw it – the dark clouds and the title – they thought it was a nature book on storms.’ Female reader, aged 55
‘A powerful, rather shocking start to the story. Very well written throughout. To start with I was a little confused as to who was who but the novel settled down after chapter 3. A long novel but it needs to be and, to be honest, it didn’t feel long. In fact, I loved it. Cover needs reworking. Why package such a good story in such a boring cover?’ Female reader, aged 47
‘A story full of hate and revenge. Not for the typical romance reader. The characters are well described, well developed and, for the most part, completely horrible. Surprisingly fast paced for such a long story. Note, the reader can’t relax with this book; there are just too many characters and complicated relationships to keep a track on.’ Female reader, aged 55
‘Just too many characters. In the end I didn’t know which way was up.’ Male reader, aged 43
‘Many in the Reading Group loved this story. And I did too. Yes, it’s a difficult read with so many characters. But I enjoy working as a reader. I don’t always need to be spoon fed. Crappy cover but a strong ‘maelstrom’ hidden inside. I would recommend it.’ Male reader, aged 29

‘A dark, totally captivating, story of corruption and power.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduces you to a variety of complex characters: some rather harmless, some greedy and dangerous and some downright evil.

With Maelstrom, Francis Guenette has created a thrilling suspense story with local flair. The story comprises a broad variety of believable and pretty complex characters, isolated locations, masterly woven situations and interesting interactions. I had a thrilling time reading Maelstrom - it is a very intriguing read. I was drawn into the story right away, thankfully invisible! It is up to the reader who to trust and who to fear; don't be afraid of changing your take on things along the way! This is for you if you like thrilling suspense with twists and local flair and situations seemingly to real for comfort.

A suspenseful book to read again - by a writer with a unique writing style.

Recommended!

[Tt · Rating 3 out of 5]

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