The Summer House: A Thriller, James Patterson, Brendan Dubois, authors; Ari Fliakos, narrator
Once upon a time, a home called The Summer House was once a refuge for the rich and famous like FDR, JFK, and Martin Luther King Jr. However, in recent years, The Summer House had fallen into disrepair and was a rental for those who were down and out. Then a brutal tragedy occurred there, in this small town in Sullivan County, Georgia, and the history of its prior fame was lamented as its current infamy was exposed. Seven people, including one two-year-old little girl, were executed there, in that house. Four Army Rangers, once known as the Ninja Squad in Afghanistan, were arrested for the heinous crime. One motive was thought to be that the house was being used for dealing drugs, drugs that had just about destroyed Ranger Staff Sergeant Jefferson Tyler’s stepdaughter, but why then would they also murder the little girl? Another motive was that they were repeating a crime they were once accused of in Afghanistan but somehow got away with. Did they think they could do it again?
The army sent in a team of investigators from the Criminal Investigation Division, the CID, to investigate the crime. Major Jeremiah Cook, a former cop, is in charge. He had served in Afghanistan, had been grievously injured, and was lucky to have survived. His partner in this investigation is Special Agent Connie York, also a former cop. The others are Special Agent Manuel Sanchez, an ex-cop, Lieutenant John Huang, a psychiatrist, and Captain Allen Pierce, a JAG lawyer.
The house is in a town that is controlled by a very corrupt, controlling and powerful sheriff named Emma Williams. Whatever Emma Williams wanted, she seemed to get. From where did she get such power? It seems that she has chosen her acolytes well from the loose cannons in society. They have all needed her help in the past, for one reason or another, and now they all blindly follow her orders, regardless of how heinous they may be, because she exacts brutal punishment for disobedience. People sometimes simply even disappear, never to be heard from again. She runs a sophisticated game of blackmail. This sheriff is determined to get these four rangers, and is committed to do anything to get them, but if they are not guilty, why would she want innocent men condemned for a crime they did not commit? Williams seems sure that they are guilty. All the evidence points to them.
Major Cook believes that something is awry. He wants a complete and thorough investigation, but every time they seem to be getting some place, a witness disappears or a body is discovered. Soon danger is lurking everywhere. As they investigate further, they are all drawn to different places. Tragedies and disappearances threaten the integrity of the investigation. Major Cook keeps wondering why these Rangers, if guilty, carried out this barbaric act. Was all the evidence just a bit too convenient? Were they being framed? Was the confession coerced?
Suddenly, Major Cook is notified that the whole investigative team is being fired, called back home, and told they will face demotions, discipline and reprimands. In spite of that, with the emergence of new clues that point to the Rangers’ innocence, the major decides to continue the investigation as long as he can. The truth lies in Afghanistan and so Major Cook travels there, facing great danger and dealing with his memories of being attacked and injured years before. With nothing to lose, since they have all been warned of their impending doom, and they have been told they will be disciplined, the team risks all and goes along with Cook’s plans to unearth further clues and evidence to prove the men incarcerated are innocent.
The sheriff also has plans. She has high aspirations of getting to Washington DC and landing an even greater position of power. She has managed to get complete control of her town because she preys upon the losers. She technically makes them offers they can’t refuse, when she offers to help them out with work or loans, etc. Afterward, she holds them hostage to force them to do her bidding. The next election will propel her to Washington DC and the greater power she craves. She is not going to give up the flunkies she controls. She will not let anything interfere with her ambition, especially not the four Army Rangers who were arrested for the murders of the seven civilians or the CID investigators.
Racism and corruption are revealed at the highest level of the military and the government apparatus. The small-town powerful sheriff in Georgia stands to benefit from the upcoming election. She supports a candidate who will take her with him to DC. She is willing to risk a great deal not to endanger her chances of getting there. They are both part of the problem, not the solution.
However, are these Rangers truly guilty? Is anyone lying? Did they murder the victims because of their drug dealing or for revenge? Something didn’t smell right, and the investigators defied orders to bring about justice.
The book was read superbly by the narrator, and the pages turned themselves, even as the plot veered off in many directions. It always kept me entertained and interested in the outcome. There was mystery and wit perfectly combined.