Dirty Dad

by David Ravenwood

Dirty Dad is a mystery novel set in 1985 about the wealthy Kempner family’s dirty dealings. After patriarch Jim Kempner, a Texas commercial real estate tycoon dies on vacation, oil slides to nine dollars a barrel and kills the family empire he’d built with his son, Mitch, putting thousands out of work. The situation worsens for Mitch and his employees when Jim’s will says that all assets will convert to cash and be put into a trust for his second wife, Laura, leaving Mitch with nothing. Slowly, the entire Kempner family begins to unravel underneath the weight of deceit and murder. Will Mitch, his older brother, and the women in their lives pull it together or lose everything?

261 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 8, 2016

About the author

David Ravenwood was educated at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a teaching certificate in elementary education. He has taught in the Texas public schools since 1998. He is now retired and subs part time. He enjoys walking, going to the gym, reading, and good movies. David and his wife, Steffie, were married in 1995. She helps with the administrative work for his novels and discusses story ideas with him. David started writing sporadically at sixteen years of age and could never figure out why he didn’t write on a regular basis. At forty-one it snapped into place and he has written regularly ever since. He realized the type of stories he writes, even his novels for children, require a perspective that comes after forty years of living life.

David and Steffie live in Texas with their two cats, Fred and Felix.

Reviews

[Ivey Byrd · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first impression of the characters is that they all seem to behave like children. They fight over money rather than morn for their father who just died, Laura, the step-mother, seems certifiable, but despite all that Mitch seems to be the most levelheaded and adult one in the bunch. Honestly, the first few chapters were infuriating because all they were about were the children and Laura fighting over money. To me, it appeared to be a drawn out battle that prevented the plot from being furthered. The story seemed to drag on through almost half of the book. It was filled with uninteresting topics like the legalities of wills and all that. The only exciting thing to happen in the first part of the book was Mitch threatening his brother, Tom. I hated Tom for most of the novel until then end. The rest was very bland and unexciting, sadly. Things did get interesting after the halfway mark though. The truth about Mitch and his family was finally revealed and it threw me through a loop. History buffs will love this book because it is full of tales about Nazis, Germany, secret plans to fund the Nazi cause, use the money stolen from the Jews to make more money for the Kempner family, etc.. Personally, I didn't find it that engaging because I am not a fan of history, but I know that history lovers will appreciate the story the author created based on WW2. The plot was very intricate and thought out, that much was obvious. The author took little bits of Nazi and German history and intertwined it with Mitch's story to create a very interesting story. There were definitely some plot twists in the story that I never saw coming, which really got me interested in the story. In the end, although the first part of the book was rather dull, the second half of the book really took off and the story came together nicely. I give it three out of five stars.

[Giorgiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, Dirty Dad was a different book. Or that's what I felt. Usually, a book is about one big subject like revenge, dealing with a mean sibling, or how someone's life has changed after losing the family's business. Well, this book has everything. After his father's death, Mitch Kempner learns that he has to sell his family business and all the properties, including his house, and give the money to his mother-in-law. And because of his brother, Tom, makes everything even worse is not enough, Mitch learns an awful truth about his father. From the fight for the money, trying to discover his father's dark secret, love and to make things right, this book has everything. And that's why I enjoyed it so much that I've finished it in just two days. I read it every time I had a few minutes for myself.

Another thing that I loved about it is that the writing is so easy. No hard words, no complicated sentences. The descriptions are very well made and each character is nice described. I must add the fact that I feel that the book is like a real story narrated by a person. Everything seems so real, the things move at a real life's speed, nothing seems made up.

Also, I've learned a few more things about World War II and finances and economy. I love when there is something to learn about in a book.

So, if you want to read an easy, light and interesting book, Dirty Dad is exactly what you're looking for. 

[Stephanie Kelch · Rating 4 out of 5]

You need to read this.

Good plot twists and interesting characters. Hard to put this book down. The connection to World War II was new to me.