Incidental Tears

by Eileen Bennett

Incidental Tears is a blend of fact and fiction, using the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack as a backdrop for the mysterious death of a teenage girl in the Atlantic City area. The book tells of the tragedy of a middle-class family as it grapples with the seemingly accidental death of its daughter and sister. But was it an accident? Investigators, like the rest of the nation, are not focused as they normally would be. A bungled autopsy adds to the tragedy. The tale unwinds with behind-the-scenes mechanics of news reporting and police work. Because the teen's death was deemed accidental, it rates only a news brief in the paper. Her grieving family, meanwhile, finds itself more and more isolated in the aftermath of its loss. The reader travels beyond the headline and story into the world of confidential news sources and the fraternal brotherhood-and eccentricities-of police officers.

204 pages, Paperback

First published March 14, 2005