Suspects: A Northwest Murder Mystery

Northwest Murder Mysteries #1

by Ted Haynes

Dan Martinez, twenty-eight, laid off from his job with a law firm in Portland, Oregon, decides to train for an off-road triathlon in rural Central Oregon. After a run, Dan comes to the back door of his childhood friend, Candy Winterpol, to find Candy’s husband, Ken, barely conscious on his deck. Dan and Candy help Ken into the kitchen and call 911. When Detective Breuninger of the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Department arrives with the medics, Dan and Candy realize they may be charged with attacking Ken (and ultimately murdering him when he dies that afternoon). Dan arranges a criminal attorney for Candy and protects himself using what he can remember from law school, where he studied business, not criminal, law. When a neighbor tells Dan he saw Dan’s father in the vicinity, Dan decides he must protect his father, as well as Candy and himself, from arrest and possible conviction. Meanwhile, Dan’s father disappears. Dan undertakes to protect Candy, his father, and himself by identifying other people who had reason to kill Ken. He uncovers Ken’s fraudulent business practices, his bribery of public officials, his early life as a drug dealer, and his bitter relationship with his previous wife. When Dan delivers a host of suspects to Detective Breuninger, the detective arrests Dan himself in the hope of learning what Dan is trying to hide. Amy De Santis, twenty-three, attends the funeral of her landlord (Ken) and is accosted by his sister who sees a family resemblance. Amy believes Ken might be the father for whom she never had a name. Amy meets Dan and finds they are both training for the same triathlon. They eventually fall in love, though Dan is wary of a girl who stands to gain from Ken’s estate. Dan finally identifies the murderer, who attempts to kill Dan, and fights the killer in a life and death struggle deep in the Oregon forest. The novel is narrated in various sections by Dan, Candy, Dan’s father, Amy (Dan’s girlfriend), Detective Breuninger, and, in a letter he left behind, Ken Winterpol - the murdered man himself.

Genres: Mystery

238 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 15, 2017

About the author

Ted Haynes is the author of Pole Pedal Murder (on sale July 12, 2022), The Mt. Bachelor Murders, The Mirror Pond Murders, Suspects (all four books in the Northwest Murder Mystery series), On the Road from Burns (short stories), The Dot.com Terrorist (a novel), and co-author of Vandevert – The Hundred Year History of a Central Oregon Ranch. He studied fiction writing at Dartmouth College, UC Berkeley, and Stanford University. Ted first visited Central Oregon in 1975 and has loved it ever since. He and his wife have a log house on the Little Deschutes River.

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won Suspects: A Northwest Murder Mystery written in 2017 by Ted Haynes through a Goodreads Giveaway contest. It's a mystery / suspense thriller written in a very methodical manner and focusing on different characters in alternating chapters.

Candy's husband is found nearly dead on their back porch. Friend and neighbor Dan had stopped by but he finds Ken with a wound and is uncertain how it happened. Hours later, Ken dies and both Candy and Dan are suspects. As chapters proceed, we hear from members of Dan's family, the police, and a few other characters. Each character attempts to tell us what they know and clarify if they're a suspect. Dan, a lawyer but not the criminal kinda, presents as many potential suspects as possible to clear both him and Candy of the crime. As the book progresses, we learn more about the deceased's life and former family, as well as who actually killed him. There's a small love/romance story woven in the pages, and there's a good twist in the end, too.

This is written in a very different manner than I'm used to. It's procedural, almost explained as someone thinks or talks. There's narrative and dialog, as well as side stories about different things going on in everyone's lives, but it's an atypical read for me. That said, parts were fantastic. Others were a little light or weak for me. But on the whole, it deserves a solid 4 stars. I liked Dan and suspected him of being a misleading narrator, but in the end, I realized why he acted the way he did. I won't give away if he's the murderer or not, but he's a likable guy.

I'm curious to see what else the author publishes and if it's as procedural as this, meaning it's his style, or this was done as a one-time style opportunity. I'm glad I took a chance. It has a lot of potential.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A lawyer between jobs is having an affair with his neighbor when her husband is murdered. He tries to help her out while training for a triathlon. He meets a young woman also training for the triathlon. The lawyer gets in a bit over his head.

Not bad, but the triathlon sequence at the end is a bit much. I think ending it at the starting gun might have been a better choice.

[Ted Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspects is my latest book, a murder mystery that will go on sale in bookstores and online (e.g. Amazon) on May 15, 2017. The book has already received some strong endorsements:

“Suspects has just what a mystery ought to have – a bunch of well-drawn lively characters, strong, vivid writing, and an imaginative and suspenseful story that keeps you wanting to know what happens next – and, you won’t be disappointed.”
- Nancy Packer, Former Director of Creative Writing at Stanford

“Suspects is a roller-coaster of a good murder mystery read, offering a delightfully engaging and complicated weave of intrigue and mayhem. Author Ted Haynes has the ability to persuasively but unobtrusively get into the head of his diverse array of characters as this story wends its way toward a surprising resolution.”
- Ellen Waterston, award-winning author and poet whose recent verse novel Via Lactea: A Woman of a Certain Age Walks the Camino premiered as an opera in 2016.

“A well-written page-turner told by six narrators, none of whom gets to know the whole story until the very end.”
- Paul Goldstein, author of Legal Asylum

“This is a riveting, suspenseful, well written mystery that kept me guessing until the very end, and even then, there was a twist that I never saw coming.”
- Ron Coffman, Ret. Eugene Police Department


In Suspects, Dan Martinez aims for the challenging but simple life of a triathlete in rugged Central Oregon, only to have his plans upended by the welcoming arms of a beautiful artist—and further thrown into chaos by the violent murder of the artist’s husband. The obvious suspects are Dan himself, the murdered man’s wife, and Dan’s own father. To find the killer, Dan unearths the victim’s dark past and a host of suspects, one of them the long-lost daughter of the victim that Dan may be falling in love with. The hero makes his way with wit, grit, and a sometimes shaky understanding of criminal law. Can Dan fend off the sheriff while not becoming the next victim himself?

[Kay Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Roger Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife took a chance on this book from a small bookstore and couldn't put it down. I think she read it in 2 sittings. So, I was intrigued and also found it compelling and a fun read. A great distraction for these days.

What I liked: pacing, characterization and setting. A quick pace that makes the book hard to put down and characters that I understood and enjoyed spending time with. Things unfold in the mystery with just enough new information to keep your interested through the whole story. I have connections with the setting in Oregon so I do wonder if someone without those connections would enjoy it as much. Mild spoiler: I also like stories that tie up most loose ends neatly into a bow and this is one of them.

What I didn't like: there were some klunky plot points where I didn't quite believe what the characters were doing and some that were a bit too convenient for the story. Especially a set of coincidences to introduce a character into the middle of the story that stretched credulity a bit too far. None of this was enough to ruin things for me.

Bottom line, if you want a fun & light mystery with a Central Oregon theme, this is an enjoyable and quick read.

[Alan Kagiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I generally enjoyed the book; it was suspenseful yet with effortless integrations of action, romance, and even some beautiful commentary on the natural world. Regardless, the protagonist was a little too omniscient, almost as if each piece fell into place perfectly. Lastly, the ending, while shocking and well done, left critical questions that drove the story unanswered, especially with the fate of Amy’s parentage. The need for speculation given little evidence left a sour taste in my mouth, but I nonetheless enjoyed the book. Thank you Haynes!

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book from a goodreads giveaway! I love reading new authors of thriller books. However this one just didn’t work for me. I didn’t feel connected to the characters and in each chapter it jumped around too much between all the different characters narrating. I did not figure out the killer until the end when they said who it was, because I don’t believe they even really talked about that character. It may have been the writing style that affected how much I liked this book.

[Debra Barstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book for me. I am not sure if it was because there were so many characters or what. I liked the story but it seemed a bit confusing in some places. I would recommend if you want a fast non romance type book.

[Em&M mellowcraze · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was very engaging. My parents moved to Bend not so long ago, so it was fun to read a story about the area and read about the places I recognized. The actually writing left a lot to be desired.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. The view point often changed between characters and wal always in the first person.

[Misty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

The premise is good, I like the plot, but it just felt underdeveloped to me. Things unfolded too quickly. I didn't have a chance to really absorb what was happening or how the characters were feeling.

[Bethani Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot starts with murder and invites you then to get acquainted with the suspects. It's not obvious who the murderer is. However, the author leaves out no details when exposing the truth.