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The Settling
International Book Awards Finalist 2017
A seemingly random leaf, floating on a quiet pond, Charlie Campbell is a bookkeeper of little account whose life is ordinary to the point of invisibility, but upon his death unlocks a truth that challenges reality.
A once-wunderkind, Professor Tom Campbell has procrastinated too long and is now stranded in a small backwater college and deeply resenting it. Elly Asher is a rescuer, be it injured animals or broken people, but she cannot help herself. Now she hides from her past, tucked away in a small Texas town, afraid but ever hopeful. Warrant Officer Bob Vardis is jaded at the end of a long career at the Pentagon as the Sherlockian devil’s advocate. Rigid and doctrinaire, his life is ordered, methodical and loveless… and he is exhausted by it.
Whether the old man's life was real or imagined, his death is the catalyst that changes everything as lives of settling come to a final settlement.
A seemingly random leaf, floating on a quiet pond, Charlie Campbell is a bookkeeper of little account whose life is ordinary to the point of invisibility, but upon his death unlocks a truth that challenges reality.
A once-wunderkind, Professor Tom Campbell has procrastinated too long and is now stranded in a small backwater college and deeply resenting it. Elly Asher is a rescuer, be it injured animals or broken people, but she cannot help herself. Now she hides from her past, tucked away in a small Texas town, afraid but ever hopeful. Warrant Officer Bob Vardis is jaded at the end of a long career at the Pentagon as the Sherlockian devil’s advocate. Rigid and doctrinaire, his life is ordered, methodical and loveless… and he is exhausted by it.
Whether the old man's life was real or imagined, his death is the catalyst that changes everything as lives of settling come to a final settlement.
248 pages, Paperback
Published May 15, 2017
2 people are currently reading
692 people want to read
About the author
Michael Putegnat
3 books18 followersI had hoped to be a writer after graduating from St. Edwards University in Austin, but family imperatives and minimum nutritional requirements argued for pragmatism, and that rode me through a series of enterprises, elected and appointed public service, a graduate degree from Harvard, higher education administration and professorship, and finally to consulting for businesses, government and non-profits. Along the way, I forgot where I started. I like to think it was a long, circuitous postponement, and it turns out it was a useful practical research that informed and inspired my first novel, Laguna, which won an IPPY Gold Medal in 2007. In 2016 I began writing full time. I guess you could say that at last I have come to the beginning.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 5, 2017
Michael Putegnant wrote and excellent novel.
It seems lies, power, greed and murder are the new religion in Laguna Madre in South Texas. John Magne, a fourth generation heir to the ranch, has got to come up with something quick or lose everything he has. Scheming. He decideds that he needs to transform some of his land into a natural gas field or lose everything he has. Manipulation and being deceitful works for him in getting the officials in Washington and those of Wall Street in New York to back him. Only, he comes to find out that an ex-government employee stands in his way. Gotta find him and make him go away.
A fisherman disappears and an investigation ensues. Somehow this figures into the Laguna Madre. But what did that fisherman see that it had to cost him his life and where is he?
Oh, at first, I didn't think I would enjoy this book. But was I ever wrong. It was a great read. I recommend it to all.
I won this book on the Good Reads giveaway.
It seems lies, power, greed and murder are the new religion in Laguna Madre in South Texas. John Magne, a fourth generation heir to the ranch, has got to come up with something quick or lose everything he has. Scheming. He decideds that he needs to transform some of his land into a natural gas field or lose everything he has. Manipulation and being deceitful works for him in getting the officials in Washington and those of Wall Street in New York to back him. Only, he comes to find out that an ex-government employee stands in his way. Gotta find him and make him go away.
A fisherman disappears and an investigation ensues. Somehow this figures into the Laguna Madre. But what did that fisherman see that it had to cost him his life and where is he?
Oh, at first, I didn't think I would enjoy this book. But was I ever wrong. It was a great read. I recommend it to all.
I won this book on the Good Reads giveaway.
December 6, 2017
**A very dear friend of mine won an ARC of this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway ending July 26, 2017 and was gracious enough to lend it to me.** All opinions expressed here are mine alone.
I just this minute finished Michael Putegnat's second novel, "The Settling" and...WOW!
I'm not one of the many readers who "tell" the story of a book that I have read and subsequently review. I figure that's what the Synopsis is for. I will point out (imho) when the Synopsis doesn't BEGIN to do justice to the book that I have read. THIS is one such novel.
Through the horrors of war, Michael Putegnat was able to tell a beautiful story. To put it in the simplest of terms, the characters were both very human and very real. This made them completely believable. The depth of emotions I experienced in reading "The Settling" were quite extraordinary and completely unexpected.
As the widow of a United States Air Force Serviceman killed Active Duty, I can personally testify to the authenticity of the description of a Military Funeral presented With Honors. "21 Gun Salute" and all... With this author's telling of this event, I wept. My husband's Military Funeral being one of the most pivotal experiences in my lifetime...the sights, the sounds, the colors, the sheer emotions and the "Honors" bestowed, I have carried with me every single day for the past 27 years since having to say "Goodbye" and will continue to carry with me until the day I am laid to rest beside my own "personal hero," my husband, David.
I share all this with you only to illustrate that Mr. Putegnat could not have gotten this any more RIGHT. Any other widows, widowers and other surviving family members who have suffered the loss of one of our soldiers whom these "Honors" are then bestowed upon will know EXACTLY what I mean.
For the reasons I have annotated above, along with many, many others, this book was easily a "5 STAR" read for me. Every once in a while, we all come across a book that begs for a much HIGHER RATING than the "5 Stars" we are allowed to bestow upon a book here on Goodreads. This was one of those books for me. I HIGHLY recommend this novel to EVERYONE!
I just this minute finished Michael Putegnat's second novel, "The Settling" and...WOW!
I'm not one of the many readers who "tell" the story of a book that I have read and subsequently review. I figure that's what the Synopsis is for. I will point out (imho) when the Synopsis doesn't BEGIN to do justice to the book that I have read. THIS is one such novel.
Through the horrors of war, Michael Putegnat was able to tell a beautiful story. To put it in the simplest of terms, the characters were both very human and very real. This made them completely believable. The depth of emotions I experienced in reading "The Settling" were quite extraordinary and completely unexpected.
As the widow of a United States Air Force Serviceman killed Active Duty, I can personally testify to the authenticity of the description of a Military Funeral presented With Honors. "21 Gun Salute" and all... With this author's telling of this event, I wept. My husband's Military Funeral being one of the most pivotal experiences in my lifetime...the sights, the sounds, the colors, the sheer emotions and the "Honors" bestowed, I have carried with me every single day for the past 27 years since having to say "Goodbye" and will continue to carry with me until the day I am laid to rest beside my own "personal hero," my husband, David.
I share all this with you only to illustrate that Mr. Putegnat could not have gotten this any more RIGHT. Any other widows, widowers and other surviving family members who have suffered the loss of one of our soldiers whom these "Honors" are then bestowed upon will know EXACTLY what I mean.
For the reasons I have annotated above, along with many, many others, this book was easily a "5 STAR" read for me. Every once in a while, we all come across a book that begs for a much HIGHER RATING than the "5 Stars" we are allowed to bestow upon a book here on Goodreads. This was one of those books for me. I HIGHLY recommend this novel to EVERYONE!
May 29, 2017
I love books that not only tell an entertaining story but make you think along the way. “The Settling” is one of such books.
It starts with a scene where an elderly man, searching the woods in Germany, stumbles across remains of a soldier with dog tags still intact around his neck, which date back to WWII. From there an incredibly enthralling story unravels, taking the reader to Texas where Tom Campbell, a history professor, learns about the death of his father, Charles Campbell. However, going through his father’s things, Tom and his girlfriend Elly find out that old Charlie might have had a secret which he only revealed to his journals, carefully coding his entries. Could it be that the newly found remains that a Pentagon official is investigating might have something in common with Charlie Campbell and his secret diary? I won’t give away anything else here so you can find out for yourselves.
I absolutely loved not only the components of mystery and an investigation that both Elly and Vardis, a Pentagon officer, were doing, but also deep psychological issues that each character had to deal with. The contradictory feelings of guilt and denial that torment Tom after the death of his father; his refusal to face real issues that cause him misery and blaming his father instead; his complicated relationship with Elly and how he finds his way back to happiness with the help of the story revealed in his father’s notes – all these issues were masterfully presented.
If you love deep and meaningful stories that are told in the most compelling way, this one is certainly for you. I couldn’t put it down. A fabulous read.
It starts with a scene where an elderly man, searching the woods in Germany, stumbles across remains of a soldier with dog tags still intact around his neck, which date back to WWII. From there an incredibly enthralling story unravels, taking the reader to Texas where Tom Campbell, a history professor, learns about the death of his father, Charles Campbell. However, going through his father’s things, Tom and his girlfriend Elly find out that old Charlie might have had a secret which he only revealed to his journals, carefully coding his entries. Could it be that the newly found remains that a Pentagon official is investigating might have something in common with Charlie Campbell and his secret diary? I won’t give away anything else here so you can find out for yourselves.
I absolutely loved not only the components of mystery and an investigation that both Elly and Vardis, a Pentagon officer, were doing, but also deep psychological issues that each character had to deal with. The contradictory feelings of guilt and denial that torment Tom after the death of his father; his refusal to face real issues that cause him misery and blaming his father instead; his complicated relationship with Elly and how he finds his way back to happiness with the help of the story revealed in his father’s notes – all these issues were masterfully presented.
If you love deep and meaningful stories that are told in the most compelling way, this one is certainly for you. I couldn’t put it down. A fabulous read.
March 12, 2018
I was hooked from the first page of The Settling and fell in love with Charlie Campbell, whose death changes the lives of Putegnat's intriguing characters Elly, Tom, and Bob. I've been waiting patiently for Michael Putegnat's second novel as I loved his first one, Laguna! This is one of those books that you cannot put down until you solve the mystery. A very touching and loving story, well told. Be prepared to read late into the night!
March 30, 2022
I had a hard time connecting the dots at the beginning of the book. Hard time keeping the characters straight which is not typical for me. Fun to read about this spot we just vacationed in but in a much different context. I could see this actually happening as people get greedy and the environment is less of an issue. Government pushing things thru for a powerful donor. In the end everyone got what they deserved... I wonder if Angela will ever come clean tho??
August 12, 2017
I won the book The Settling in a giveaway by the author Michael Putegnat. I enjoyed the mystery in the book, which I figured out before I got to the chapter that revealed it, and I enjoyed the characters Tom and Elly. I really didn't care for some of the language that was used but can understand why it was written that way. Altogether though, it was a interesting, thought provoking story.
August 29, 2017
“The Settling’ is fantastic.
Charles Campbell is a lot like my father (close, not identical). Tom Campbell is a lot like me (close, not identical). So reading the book was more of an emotional experience for me than it will be for others. Even for others, this is a book well worth reading.
Thanks, Michael Putegnat.
March 4, 2023
This was an excellent book - I especially liked that it was set in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Great job developing characters and a great story line.
Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.
Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down.
May 24, 2017
Excellent first novel about South Texas!
November 21, 2017
There are some very important "life messages" within the final pages of this book - on frienship and family, and trying always to live your life "by doing the best you can". I will admit that I was moved to tears at the end.
June 8, 2020
I won this book, rec'd a very nice letter from the author, but having just finished A Man in Moscow with its awesome writing, I find no comparison. Names were used way too much; reader knows who is talking, no need to have a name in every sentence. Why did Tom not like his father? Why at age 40 did he have no idea who his father was? Mother ? Why was Elly scared to death of ex boyfriend (''you hurt me was it), then, with an I'm sorry, seemingly friends? Code original, but would a father really do that? Tom unlikable, Elly uninteresting, her friend, unreal, investigators took chapters to put 2 and 2 together what was obvious. I liked the first chapter, then, it went down hill from there for me. Sorry. On to the next one.
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September 22, 2008The disappearance of a fisherman stirs up an investigation, uncovering a powerful South Texas ranching dynasty in big trouble.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews