Lateral Hazard

by Dave Saari

Samantha Williamson is taking a respite from her quest to become a star on the LPGA Tour, with a stint as an Assistant Professional at the Snake River Golf Club. She has the talent and the will to make it on tour, but an unexpected distraction – the handsome Snake River Pro – throws a monkey wrench into the works. Little did she know that her estranged father is the club chairman, or that his beautiful trophy wife would end up dead. When the Sheriff can’t solve her stepmother’s murder, Sam decides to investigate on her own, leading to disastrous consequences. This is a tale of lust, infidelity, blackmail, murder, revenge – and the redemptive power of love.

204 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2017

About the author

I split my time between my summer home on the North Shore of Lake Superior and a condo in Minneapolis, having retired from a 40-year career as an Aerospace Engineer in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. I've written eight mystery novels so far and plan to keep on writing unless it stops being fun.

Reviews

[Trish Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, Saari delivers a good mystery to get those of us who love them pondering all the different red herrings served up before the real culprit is revealed.

As the book starts with the murder (just for this first person and sexualised scene, I think the book should have a trigger warning), there is a fair amount of timeline hopping to provide backstory and motive for our suspects. For me, dated chapter headings might have helped keep it all straight.

Knowing our protagonist, Sam, from a previous book certainly helped me like her because the earlier part of the book certainly didn't. Don't let that put you off, though. Sam's history with her mother and stepmother explains a lot. Also, her partner, Terry, carries a lot of the likeability burden in this book.

Disappointingly, physical appearance (negative and positive) is paramount for all the female characters in this book. It's an unrealistic trope that a woman must be attractive to be good or that using sex as a weapon makes a woman strong.

As many reviewers of all Saari's books have mentioned, you do not need to understand or enjoy golf to appreciate his mysteries. So if you love a mystery, grab a copy and tee off!

[James George · Rating 5 out of 5]

You may have heard the old observation: “If the weather was always perfect, what the heck would strangers in elevators ever have to talk about?” Certainly, the literary corollary would go as follows: “If there was no such thing as murder, what the heck would novelists ever have to write about?”
Ah, murder. Murder most foul. We readers love it and can’t ever get enough. And when up-and-coming indie author Dave Saari gets his hands around it, and presents it as a golf-themed page-turner, the results are spectacular.
First and foremost, the prospective reader should immediately dispel themselves of three possible misconceptions:
1. The book cover: I’m sorry, but IMO this book cover is dreadful. It is in no way representative of the high-quality novel associated with it, and I hope Mr. Saari replaces it soon. Others may have a different opinion.
2. The “man” factor: Prospective readers may thumb through the advertising, promotions, and assorted content and find the following: Golf. Trophy wives. Sex. Golf. Booze. Strip clubs. Plastic surgery. Sex. Golf. They may think, “ah yes. Chick-Lit for men. Something for the male of the species to enjoy while swigging beer, grunting, and scratching themselves.” This is not the case at all. This is an extremely well-written, quality novel with a strong female protagonist and broad appeal (no pun intended).
3. Readers will definitely enjoy this book even if they don’t care for golf.

Samantha Williamson is a rising young golfer aspiring to greatness on the LGPA tour. She hails from Minnesota, and despite her father’s wealth and success, she is the result of very poor parenting and an unhappy home life.

Her father, Trevor Williamson, is a devious attorney with a taste for avarice and trophy wives. He is completely estranged from Samantha. This fact becomes even more apparent when, lacking sustained success on the LGPA tour, Samantha returns to her home state to become a golf pro at the very same club her father lords over as the chairman.

Sounds like a recipe for a joyful reunion, right? Oh, no. Trevor is so sexist and alienated from his daughter he even conspires to have her dismissed. Despite the family rancor, however, Samantha is perfectly content with her situation, especially since she is working and residing with dreamboat golf pro Terry Hatcher.

When murder visits their idyllic little golfing hamlet, Samantha is pulled into the intrigue. Settings and characters shift at a nice pace as the story comes together.

Dave Saari is a relatively new author and a retired aerospace engineer. His author notes are very humble, as if he just published a stinker riddled with errors. Nothing can be further from the truth. This book is terrific. No, the English Literature faculty at Swarthmore is not going to be debating the conflicting Didionesque prose and the Kafkaesque symbolism while sipping brandy in the faculty lounge. This is page-turning popcorn fiction and its style and quality are very similar to Michael Connelly’s early novels.

Mr. Saari does a terrific job of integrating a varied chronology to bring the story together. The dialogue is excellent and the story is error-free. If I had to criticize anything:
1. I thought the climax and revelation were a bit formulaic but they worked well.
2. SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS: I thought the way the “annoying man” was coerced into his criminal actions was a little implausible. There should have been another element at work, such as much more impactful blackmail or a much bigger bribe. END SPOILERS.

Bottom line, 5/5 stars. The aerospace industry’s loss is the literary world’s gain.
Keep ‘em coming, Mr. Saari! Fore!!!!

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

6/11/2015, Snake River Golf Club. Samantha “Sam” Williamson (26, pro golf asst.) had to call the Pine County Sheriff’s office.
Mrs. Alexandra Williamson (2nd. wife/step-mother, aka Sexy Lexy, nee Adams) had been murdered.
Eduardo (Snake River head greenkeeper) was taping off the area.
Sheriff Deputy Lester (Pine County) & Sheriff Deputy Phyllis Lindstrom (Pine County) were going to speak with Trevor Williamson (husband/father, lawyer, O, L, & W law firm, SR golf chairman, Mankato St., U of Minnesota).

Adrian Pelfry (club member) while golfing had found the body.
Trevor got an anonymous phone call & was supposed to meet aka Jim Rockford at the Kit-Kat Bar basement lounge (Mounds Park, St. Paul, MN.).
Jim made him an offer that he better not refuse!
20/26/2001, Allyson Milton (Kristin BFF, 14 Karat Gold nightclub stripper), Kristin “Krissy” Milroy 18, sister, 14 Karat Gold nightclub stripper, PG) & Hunter Alan Milroy (17, brother), had all died of a drug OD.

Brittany Fox (Allyson’s roommate) had learned the horrible news & been questioned by the Minneapolis PD.
Sam had gotten an Arizona State (Sun Devils) scholarship to play golf.
Coach Judy Castellano pushed her hard to succeed.
CC Investigations had concluded their final report on the 3 overdoses case.
Terry Hatchett (Certified PGA Professional) was going to help Sam achieve her stardom.

What were Alan Hunter & Pete Pierce up to?
What was Detective Moses King Pine County Sherriff interviewing Paul (Porky) Parker (golfer) about?
Sam was at the Stage III LPGA Qualifying Tournament.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written mystery book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great mystery movie, or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Paul Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Lateral Hazard. If you enjoy reading mysteries, you will enjoy this one. It has more twists and turns than a mountain trail. At various times I suspected several of the characters in the book, only to find that I was completely wrong. Once you've read it, and know who committed the murder, you will, like me, shake your head and say, I didn't see that coming.

The writing is excellent. The story moves along quite nicely. At first I was bothered by the fits and starts, jumping from one character's story to another's, but in the end, it all made perfect sense and was quite enjoyable.

It's quite easy for me to see this book being made into a movie, a movie that does quite well at the box office. One of the main characters is a quite despicable, amoral attorney. Another is his lovely, talented and much-ignored daughter. Each of the characters in the story is inflicted with faults and failings as well as admirable qualities, and all are quite believable.

Buy this book. Read it. You won't regret it.

[Brandon Collier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should first note that I'm not a fan of golf but this story makes sure you don't need a love of that sport to appreciate a good murder story. The writing is good, the characters are decent, (although Sam was not my favorite) but there are some holes in the middle of the story. There were also questions still not answered. Overall, the beginning and end prove to be the best part and there is a twist that I appreciate.

[John Brackenridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a mystery novel that revolves around golf. I am not a golfer, and it is on my list of least favourite activities, but I still enjoyed this book. The characters are well written and believable, and the humour throughout the book is welcome. The twist at the end is excellent, and indeed unexpected.

[Jonah Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't play golf. I've never had any real interest in playing golf, although I confess that whacking balls at a driving range is a strangely satisfying experience for me. That said, I find books and movies about golf entertaining. I can't recall ever having read or seen a bad one. Dave Saari's Lateral Hazard is no exception. It has everything I like in a book: humor, danger, multiple points of view, interesting characters, a little sex, and some things I never knew before. I love learning new things.

This is a plot driven tome. It's well paced and leaves sufficient hooks around to keep one turning pages until the end. The characters are well-drawn enough that one cares what happens to them as the action progresses. If there is a failing here, it's that no one character stands out as the protagonist. There is not one character with an arc of consequence who changes over the course of the story.

The men and the women seem to be equally shallow, although I have to point out that virtually all of the women are attractive and endowed with appealing figures whether by their creator or by their surgeons. I was not put off by this, although it has been pointed out to me previously that I can occasionally be a misogynistic slug, so you may filter my opinion accordingly.

I didn't note any glaring errors in spelling or syntax. These are usually a source of annoyance to me, but Lateral Hazard is more than competently proofed, so there was nothing to slow me down or otherwise detract from my enjoyment of the story. This is a rarity among self-published, non-professionally edited books, and is therefore worthy of note. Hell, I've seen many professionally edited and proof-read books that are full of errors, so kudos to Saari for getting this right.

In short, I really enjoyed reading this book. It's not perfect and it's not what I would call literature, but it is excellent entertainment. It accomplishes everything it sets out to do. If I had the option I'd rate it at 4.5 stars, but since I don't - 5 stars it is.

[Robert Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Golf is a difficult game; a one-second swing interrupted by minutes of walking, thinking, worrying, chatting, and calming down which is repeated sixty-five to one hundred and thirty times over four to five hours. It’s even harder to write about, yet golf literature is among the finest, if not the finest, sports writing. Luminaries such as Bernard Darwin and Herbert Warren Wind have described golf rounds in excruciating detail and yet kept us enthralled. Fiction by P.G. Wodehouse and Dan Jenkins enter terms such as the wrecking crew and dead solid perfect into common usage, at least among golfers. Although not quite of this exalted level, Lateral Hazard is a nice addition to the genre.
The main plot is the life, loves and torments of an aspiring woman professional golfer. Add the requisite dysfunctional family, a gruesome murder, good and bad intentions, an abundance of hormonal stimuli almost exclusively from well-formed breasts, a nice twist now and then and you have yourself an engaging story. To be picky, some story elements are unnecessary and distractive, there are too many factual details (LPGA qualifying for example), a HUGE coincidence, and some decisions, motivation and behavior are hard to believe, but then so are some reported golf scores; maybe it’s the nature of golf and those who play it and write about it.
The writing was fine; overuse of adjectives especially in the beginning was worrying and author Saari forgot to show rather than tell (“ungodly noises emitted from its (luggage) wheels” would have been more fun had he said “wheels squeaked like a mouse glee club” or some such), characters are a bit thin and uniform, and pacing could use a boost here and there, but like a good caddie, the story carried the load.
An enjoyable novel. Minimal golf enhanced the story, in fact the epilogue could have been omitted; but those who play golf will still like the book, and those who don’t will like it too.

[Erin Daniels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lateral Hazard has proven to be a book that is difficult for me to find the right rating for. I ended up giving it a four because there is no 3.5 so it only seems fair to round up. I'll start with what I didn't like. I can't really go into detail because of spoilers but I was disappointed in some respects with the following:
1. Some of the details didn't really move the story forward. Did we need to know that Sam's flight arrived at 8:40 am or that she packed three pairs of slacks, one dress and two pairs of shorts? These are just examples but there are several areas in the book where the minute details seem to serve no purpose.
2. Character motivation was often lacking and at times there was no clear connection between catalysts in the plot progression.
3. On at least two occasions there were discrepancies between what we were told about a character's personality/pattern of behavior and what that character ended up doing.
4. It almost took too long for the author to make Sam likable - for me it was nearly 1/3 into the book and that was mainly because her relationship with Terry humanized her a bit.
5. Besides the fact that she was her dad's younger trophy wife there didn't seem to be a strong enough reason for Sam to have despised Alexandra so much, especially since her stepmother often came to her defense. Hating Alexandra for little reason seemed formulaic and rather ungracious of Sam yet we must accept that she was willing to go to great lengths to solve her murder.
6. The last quarter of the book left me with more questions than it did answers. Why the leap from cybercrime to physical assault? Why the poison? Why the escalation?

So....

This is where I tell you to definitely grab a copy of this book. I know, I know but hear me out...
Despite its flaws I could not put this book down. Even when the execution was somewhat tenuous the novel followed the ten point prose model beautifully, which convinces me that the author is a natural. But above all this the writing style was the winner for me. I have seldom read a book of this length that delivered backstory in such an engrossing way. I hate infodumps and spare no criticism when backstory feels like filler or is done in a hasty or mechanical way. Not so with this book. When the author would take us down a winding road of character history it was so intriguing and enlightening that you were almost sorry to return to the present narrative. And the skill with which the varying threads were eventually woven together was amazing. The pacing was crisp and the characters quite unforgettable. When I find myself thinking about a book after I've finished it I know I've not wasted my time. This is one reason why i wait a day or two before I review a title. There is something unique about Saari's writing that I confess i haven't been able to put my finger on - something precise and methodical that fascinates instead of bores, intrigues instead of repels. You'll simply have to delve into the book to get a sense of what I'm saying. But I do recommend it and I daresay you will not be Saari ha ha! I will be following This author's progress with great interest.

[Avery Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost, I did enjoy this book. I'm not that familiar with the game of golf, but I had no problem following along the golfing portion of the book. The writing is well crafted, and you can tell the author has a history with the written word.

That being said, this book did not follow the normal routine of most mystery novels I have read. Usually, the crime is committed and then the book progresses through all of the red herrings until at last the killer is revealed.

This book isn't at all like that.

Instead, the author shows the reader the beginning of the crime, the body is found, the investigation is started...and then the author takes a major jump back in time. You don't get back to the investigation until the book is nearly finished. To me, this was a bit off putting. I would have preferred a more linear path with minor flashbacks as needed.

If the ratings allowed for half stars, this book would get 3 1/2, but I'm rounding to 4 because, as I said, I did enjoy the book even if its path was a bit off my usual reading tastes.

[Josie Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Lateral Hazard, Dave Saari delivers another fast-paced, slick murder-action story. Although set in the glamorous world of professional and millionaire golf, with plenty of golfing detail to appeal to followers and fans, but non-golf fans will also be able to access the story with ease, and it adds a fitting atmosphere of the rich at play.
The characters, both heroes and villains, are enjoyably larger than life and there are plenty of criminal and open-door bedroom action to appeal to fans of adult-themed thrillers.
Lateral Hazard is unusual in some respects because the clue to why the victim is chosen is given openly and early, and then the author provides a mid-section which is set in the past to explain the events leading up to the murder. This didn’t affect my enjoyment at all, there were numerous potential “perps” it was an interesting take on the traditional form and I loved the twist at the end.

[Peggy Lay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, love, love the way this book starts. It grabbed me immediately and pretty much I was hooked until the end. One of the best beginnings I have read in a long time – in fact, only A Prayer for Owen Meany comes to mind right now as better.

So although golf is not necessarily my sport, I did learn a bit and the golf references were not boring or distracting and I think provided a prefect drop back for the story.

The characters were nicely developed although I did not initially like anyone. Both Sam and Terry grew on me by the end of the story.

The plot was very engaging but I did get confused sometimes as to whether we were in the present or past and although there were a few details that did not jive, I did for the most part enjoy the book. It stayed with me for a few days upon finishing it and for me that is a sign of a well-written book. Well done Mr. Saari!

[Effie Kammenou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lateral Hazard by Dave Saari is a murder mystery ‘whodunit’ that had me playing detective mental gymnastics from the first page to the last chapter.
The cast of suspects was plentiful and every time I thought I had figured out a motive I quickly changed my mind when a new morsel of information was fed through either dialogue, internal thoughts or timelines.

Set in a posh golf club community, golf enthusiasts will enjoy this tale that, in several scenes, details the intricacies of the game. But there is a little something for everyone—romance, extortion, infidelity, family dysfunction, jealousy and greed. Saari packs a lot of intrigue into a 217-page book. Read it. It’s well worth it.

By Effie Kammenou
Women’s fiction novelist

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a murder novel junkie. I adore murder mysteries of all sorts and I definitely enjoyed this book. Would I have liked Sam better if she had a better relationship with her step mother and wasn't so hateful? Definitely. Was Terry my favorite romantic male lead ever? Nah. Do I even know anything about golf? Nope! But those things ended up not mattering by the final page. There were a few details I wanted more information about, but overall the story was engaging, the characters realistic, and the mystery a real mystery! Thank you for sharing your work with us, Dave Saari!

[Meriel Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lateral Hazard by Dave Saari
I'm not a golfer, but the author clearly is, and there is interesting and enlightening golf speak throughout, but in some places a little too much detail for us greenies. Having said that, I think the story line and the writing is extremely good.
Although the characters are well drawn, Sam's behaviour is sometimes inconsistent – surely, as a golf pro applying for a job at the Snake River Golf Club, she would have discovered that her father was the chairman? And the antagonism to her beautiful step mum seems somewhat undeserved.
But these are niggles, and Lateral Hazard is an engaging page turner which is well worth a read.

[Diana Febry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-constructed mystery that will have additional appeal to golfers although it is written in a way that makes the story fully accessible to non-golfers like myself.
I loved the opening of the book with the murder of Alexandra and I especially liked the twist at the end of the story. However the middle section which provided the back story for why the murder took place didn't totally work for me personally. I think this was because I didn't connect to any of the main characters. Knowing the final outcome, the incentive to read on had to come from the desire to unravel the mystery of the why and the identity of the killer. Unfortunately for me that didn't happen. It is possibly one of those books where the level of engagement and enjoyment will relate to how well the reader relates to the characters.
An enjoyable mystery but not a wow one for me.

[Brett Stadelmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Par for the corpse, this golf-themed murder/mystery by Dave Saari is sharply paced and masterfully complex.

If you love a good detective novel, regardless of how you feel about golf, you will love this.