Dumb Cows

by Steven D. Bennett

Because he's coming someone will die. But as Thadeus Cochran enters the small Connecticut town of Newbury he is determined to enjoy the journey in spite of its inevitable outcome. Death is in the air but justice walks below and it will do more than observe, for Thadeus has come to solve a murder that has yet to occur. As he meanders the maze, faces fall into his path as if puzzle pieces, and with them come emotions he thought long dead. There is the excitement of connection, the stir of passion, and even the hint of love to help alleviate the pain of his recent loss and present loneliness. But as he eases into the dream, pride leads him to indiscretion. He reveals his mission and instantly becomes the object of ridicule. His hopes of a new life fade in the light of his calling. When he sees the shadow of death cross someone's face, his attempts to warn them are met with a physical altercation and subsequent arrest. He wakes in jail to find that someone had died during the night, but not the person he had warned. Even so, the town is suddenly abuzz with a perverse excitement at the "seer" in their midst. Thadeus finds his fame growing in opposite proportion to his faith. When the next night brings another death, he is rattled to the very core of his beliefs. Once free from jail, he finds that both deaths have been classified as natural causes. But the fact he has come tells him otherwise. As he begins to investigate he uncovers uncomfortable truths. The crowd turns and the pressure mounts for him to stop his investigation. Yet he continues on—blindly, in faith—to find the murderer he knows must exist.

364 pages, Paperback

First published January 25, 2014