{"product_id":"the-man-everybody-was-afraid-of-paperback","title":"The Man Everybody Was Afraid of - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJoseph Hansen\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF DAVE BRANDSTETTER \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe murder of a conservative police chief in a fishing village north of Los Angeles sends death claims investigator Dave Brandstetter into the no-man's land between cops and activists in this brilliantly plotted mystery, which perfectly captures California in the mid-1970s.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e A small-town Chief of Police with reactionary politics and national ambitions, Ben Orton struck fear in the hearts of anyone who fell out of line in his little fiefdom of La Caleta. Most recently that has included gay rights activists pushing for the hiring of a police officer from their community. When big Ben is found in his backyard bludgeoned to death by a large terracotta pot, the police arrest the outspoken gay owner of a local nursery. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Orton had a life insurance policy that brings death claims investigator Dave Brandstetter north to pry. As far as Dave can tell, the cops did almost nothing to investigate Orton's death and what evidence they did compile doesn't seem to add up. Dave quickly learns that the pool of suspects is much deeper than the police reported. Ben Orton may have seen himself as a pillar of the community but what many in La Caleta saw instead was a violent man whose commitment to enforcement didn't always also include room for the law. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e With an ailing father in the hospital and a relationship headed toward the rocks, a very distracted Brandstetter finds himself making more wrong moves than right while those on the other side of the thin blue line are making it painfully obvious his presence is not wanted.\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePolice Chief Ben Orton had a gift for making enemies. When his body was found, head smashed in, the people of his seaside domain were shocked--less because of the gruesome murder than because someone had finally dared to cross Ben Orton.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eJoseph Hansen (1923-2004) was the author of more than twenty-five novels, including the twelve groundbreaking Dave Brandstetter mystery novels. The winner of the 1992 Lifetime AchievementAward from the Private Eye Writers of America, Hansen was also the author of \u003ci\u003eA Smile in His Lifetime\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLiving Upstairs\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eJob's Year\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBohannon's Country\u003c\/i\u003e. He was a two-time Lambda LiteraryAward-winner.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 169\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.6 x 7.4 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 08, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51767280959776,"sku":"9781681990521","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/9f8f14a0455721c66846d267a9dd5d2d.webp?v=1780308142","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-man-everybody-was-afraid-of-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}