Category: Action/Thriller Publisher: Black Rose Writing
ISBN-10: 1684336597
Type: Fiction
Pages: 166
Copyright: April 1, 2021
ISBN-13: 9781684336593
The Ferret is a novel about a man in witness protection hiding from the Mormon mob.
As an LDS elder, Louie Kimble, is assigned as construction foreman in Testimony Acres, a high-end real estate development, fifty miles north of Las Vegas. He suspects it’s a money laundering scheme put together by his religious superiors. Confronted by the FBI, he agrees to provide evidence and testify in exchange for his freedom.
After surgery to fix an unfortunate resemblance to a domesticated animal, he is given a new name and history and relocated to South Jersey. He rebuilds his life, with a girlfriend, a great job, and season tickets to the local pro football team. Then one bright Saturday morning, there is a knock on his front door. His visitor will bring back his past, and change his life forever.
Excerpt
Salt Lake City
The father, mother, and five children stood on the hillcrest and
marveled at the Great Salt Lake Valley below, their 1300 mile trek from
Illinois completed. This was now home.
Louie studied the painting. Such brave men and women. Seeking
religious freedom, fighting off Spotted Fever, accepting their destiny.
If only I could be so brave. He pulled his smartphone. Finding Candy
Crush Saga, he resumed his personal quest. Hard candies filled the
screen as music chimed in arcade rhythm. He hummed and swiped
with a purpose, removing obstacles, and hoping to dispose of the
cherries blocking his path to level 636.
“Elder Kimball, I ask you to please maintain the sanctity of the
Church Office Building. Guests pass through, and we want to project a
focused respect for our mission,” said Miriam, the office administrator.
He closed the game, decided not to check Instagram, and slid the Droid
into his Dockers.
He walked to a table lined with bottled water, juices, and
periodicals. Filling a glass with Orangina, he picked up the latest issue of the Latter-Day Saints journal Meridian and returned to the
overstuffed sofa.
Setting the drink on a coaster (Miriam was watching),
he looked over the room: high ceiling, oak molding, brass fixtures, a
chandelier spreading light to every corner.
He found the index: Church, Society, Family, plenty of missionary
stories, and the occasional cartoon. In the Sports section, he searched
for news on BYU. Not much here. Crap. They have a decent football team. How come no game action? At least a cheerleader or two would
be nice to see.
Bishop Warren emerged from his office, followed by men laughing
at some remark uttered by the tall, thin, well-dressed man. Warren
shook their hands and motioned to the door where a young man in a
blue blazer stood. “Gentlemen, thanks for coming. Enjoy your time in
Temple Square. David will show you around.”
Warren winked at Louie. “Elder Kimball, please join me.” He
turned to Miriam. “Make sure we’re not disturbed for the next 30
minutes.”
The corner office was painted in a muted blue. Artwork depicting
the 1847 trek to Utah hung on the wall. The floor-to-ceiling windows
behind Warren’s desk provided a panorama of the plaza: tourists, and
men and women in white hurrying to their next destination.
The bishop pointed to a leather-padded chair framed in oak.
Louie sat. On contact, the seat emitted a muffled sound that
resembled a gastric condition. Warren laughed loud enough to make
Miriam crane her neck. “I love that chair. Really loosens up a room.”
Warren swiveled. “Now, Kimball. We’ve had our eyes on you.
You’re young, barely out of seminary, but know your trade, seem to
have a nose for business, and, I hope, can keep a confidence. We need
someone like you to head up construction for our southern Nevada real
estate venture.”
He picked up a remote, pointed to the far wall, and clicked. A
screen descended, and a presentation opened, showing a vast stretch
of barren desert. “This is the future site of Testimony Acres, a gated
community of high-end homes, fifty miles north of Vegas.”
Next click.
Women in the pool, their bathing suits providing minimal covering
from the Nevada sun. “This will be a discrete vacation destination,
Kimball. People need to relax and enjoy both privacy and the rugged
surroundings.”
Warren opened a drawer and took out a pamphlet, sliding it across
the desk. “The men just in here are outside investors. Not Latter-day
Saints, but distant cousins, if you will, The Community of Christ. They
have deep pockets, and money to spend with little fanfare.”
Next click. The Las Vegas skyline. “Reachable by a two-lane
highway that the fine state of Nevada will soon upgrade to four. We’re
meeting with state officials now to help push this through their
legislature. Fortunately, we have brothers and sisters in positions of
influence. They’ll convince doubters that the improvement will pay for
itself over time.”
Next click. “PRAISE BE TO GOD.” Violet lettering on a background
of the Mojave Desert. “There you have it. And you’re in on the ground
floor. You’ll make sure the job is done, the money wisely spent, both
on construction and human capital, and that the input from the non-
LDS brethren is discrete.”
He pulled a card from his pocket and placed it in front of Louie.
“This is Leader Bradshaw. He’ll be overseeing the project. He’s in 316
upstairs and is awaiting your visit so we can kick this off.”
He stood. “Good luck, Kimball. This will be quite lucrative for the
LDS and participants such as yourself. God wants us to thrive and be
wealthy. Let’s not disappoint The Almighty.”
“I won’t let you down, Bishop Warren,” he said taking the card.
“Thanks for this opportunity.”
Warren walked Louie to the door, slapped him on the shoulder,
and sent him on his way.
Louie started for the elevator in the cavernous, echoing hallway.
He beamed as Bishop Warren said to Miriam, “Nice young man, that
Kimball.”
“I guess so, Bishop Warren,” she replied. “I wish he didn’t look so
much like a ferret.”
Louie flinched at this, but walked on.
Professional Reviews
Happy Booker
The Ferret is a suspense novel and is about a man who becomes a witness to a crime and goes into hiding from the Mormon mob. As an LDS elder, Louie Kimble is assigned as a construction foreman in Testimony Acres, a high-end real estate development, fifty miles north of Las Vegas. He suspects it’s a money-laundering scheme put together by his religious superiors. Confronted by the FBI, he agrees to provide evidence and testify in exchange for his freedom.
As Louis rebuilds his life and starts new, making a love connection, and trying to bring some normality back, a visitor arrives and changes things for him. Louis, who is now living, has Hank has to either run or stay, hoping he isn’t recognized. The suspense then begins as you read along, watching Hank trying to keep himself alive and not get exposed.
The story was well written and kept the reader intrigued. The author demonstrated how hard it is to build from zero only to have to risk it or leave it to make another one. Louie was brave, and his character meshed well with the foundation of the tale.
I Recommend this book to thriller fiction readers and those who like to read crime stories.
Rose Auburn
In The Ferret we met Louis Kimble; an Elder in the Church of Latter-Day Saints. When he is given an opportunity to be the Foreman for a new luxury property development alarm bells begin to ring.
Louis quickly realises that the building works are a cover for a money laundering scheme that has the backing of the Church. Not only that, the FBI are already onto them. Louis agrees to testify against his brethren and consequently enters witness protection where he undergoes facial realignment and becomes Hank Malone. But will it be enough to escape detection especially when the Mormons begin a recruitment drive…
I found The Ferret a fun, easy read that delivers on the blurb. The beginning was a slightly one-dimensional but with the appearance of Agent Nelson, the prose began to swing and come alive. It’s a fairly simple plot that gathers intensity as Louis becomes Hank Malone and relocates to South Jersey. The ‘will he/won’t he be found out’ angle is nicely played and keeps the reader involved without becoming tiresome. It is a book that does not take itself too seriously and effortlessly zips the reader along. Some of the characterisations, especially the FBI officers are well-observed and amusing. I found Louis/Hank was stronger in the first half of the novel. The narrative in the Nevada Desert had a touch more depth than when the action moves to South Jersey. As Hank Malone, the character seemed to either be oblivious to, or delight in, pushing the boundaries of discovery especially with the involvement at Hank’s work of Nick Olsen, a Mormon and that was occasionally frustrating. A little belief suspension is also required in other places; I found the reaction from Hank’s wife, Sue’s to the news that he was actually Louis Kimble and, therefore, not really on paper the man that she had married to be rather muted in the circumstances. There are quite a few little twists as we hurtle towards the conclusion and some avenues could have been explored or described in greater detail. However, I enjoyed all strands being gathered together at the wedding of Nick and Gina and Carlos’ comeuppance struck a satisfying balance between the comedic and tragic. The FBI duo of ‘Uncle’ Sidney and Charlie were a good pairing and I could see them having their own story.
The Ferret is a straightforward, accessible little thriller that gives a decent, entertaining read. Recommended.
