Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Category:  Action/Thriller Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Type: Fiction Pages: 267 Copyright: October 16, 2024 Price: $4.99 (eBook) A disgraced police detective enjoys solace in a small town until a killer’s scheme alters his future. Given the complex interpersonal relationships within idyllic Madison, Rush creates a rich landscape for mystery in the tradition of Harlan Coben. Bella G Wright, Editor, BestThrillers A killer must focus on details. Neil Caldera seeks escape from a relentless wave of guilt after a he kills a crime boss's daughter in NYC, and settles the quietness of Madison, Georgia, a town once named “The Best Place to Live in Georgia.” Months later, his life takes a dark turn, setting off a chain reaction of chaos in the entire community after the local police respond to the murder of a teenage girl where they stumble upon a chilling scene—Neil's likeness painted in blood, an eerie symbol of his unraveling world. Digging deeper, they uncover evidence of another gruesome murder in Neil's home. Refusing to surrender, Neil finds an ally in the town’s police sergeant. Together, they plunge headlong into a treacherous game of seduction and violence, desperate to stop a bloodthirsty predator before more lives are claimed, including his. This enthralling and immersive novel ranks Steve Rush with the finest authors of the crime genre – exceptional interplay of victim, investigator, and suspect roles in the persona of Neil Caldera brings a new level of understanding to the psyche of detectives. Goodreads reviewer. Excerpt Neil widened the beam of light with a left twist of the flashlight’s head. Shock jolted him. The likeness on the barn wall stared back at him with remarkable resemblance. “Holy mother of Moses. I understand why you didn’t want to come back.” Neil looked at the front and rear doors. Light from an approaching vehicle rose on the front of the barn. Gaps around the door allowed enough streaks of light through to make shadows look as if the light infused them with life. The vehicle continued onward. Every shadow around Neil returned to stationary ominous forms. He half-turned toward the front and listened. The whine of tires on pavement diminished. Silence again filled the barn. The hinges squawked against Neil’s shove on the right-side door. Chad turned his head in Neil’s direction. He was sitting on the ground with his back to the weathered wood. Knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them and his right hand clamped on his left wrist. “It’s you.” Chad shuddered, tilted his head toward the barn. “In there. The picture on the wall looks like you.” Neil glanced inside. The image renewed in his mind. “Is that the reason you called me? To have me look at someone’s depravity smeared on a barn wall?” Chad shook his head. “No, sir.” “Then why?” “I know what you did.”

Susan Vaughan
Steve Rush covers all the bases in Lethal Impulse. The author gives the reader a complex protagonist, a former police detective now a minister, who is drawn into solving a tangled web of murders in his small town. The mix of police procedure, emotional family entanglements, and romance is sure to rivet readers.

BestThrillers.com
The Bottom Line: A small-town crime thriller that hits all the right notes. Recommended for fans of Harlan Coben.

Reverend Neil Caldera’s calling takes him to Madison, Georgia, a small town graced with antebellum homes, delicious southern cuisine and a strong sense of community. But as Neil eventually discovers, the town has a dark underbelly. When the seasoned former detective is summoned to a grisly murder scene in a local barn, he makes a truly shocking discovery: a malevolent portrait of himself, painted in blood.
Just eighteen months being welcomed as the pastor of a local church, Neil struggles to understand the meaning of this macabre message. Is it a threat? Or is someone trying to frame him for murder?

Neil didn’t seek out life in Madison. He was recruited. After serving 13 years as a detective in the New York Police Department (NYPD), a person whose identity is still a mystery recommended him to lead the local flock. Neil can’t help but wonder whether the bizarre scene is somehow related to his killing of a crime boss’ daughter back in New York. After all, in the aforementioned barn scene, he receives an additional jolt when a person who appears to be an ally tells him, in reference to New York, “I know what you did.”

Author Steve Rush reveals the identity of the perpetrators near the very beginning of the novel, rendering Neil’s search for the truth – and the killers’ motives – as the book’s primary narrative tension. Given the complex interpersonal relationships within idyllic Madison, Rush creates a rich landscape for mystery in the tradition of Harlan Coben.

Neil – who is for a time a victim, an investigator and a suspect all at once – demonstrates exceptional forensic skills yet struggles at times to see what’s right in front of him. His disposition rings true, as Neil is ultimately a broken outsider seeking healing through redemption. Rush’s portrayal of the well-meaning preacher with a troubled past is compelling, especially as the crimes become increasingly personal, and Neil's past and present collide.

Bella G Wright, Editor
BestThrillers.com


Patrick Weill
Told with rich and rhythmic prose reminiscent of David Baldacci, Lethal Impulse is a fascinating look into the world of forensic investigation. The author, Steve Rush, was a homicide detective and the chief forensic investigator for a national consulting firm, which made the reading experience like a ride-along with a seasoned law enforcement professional in the midst of a risky case. Five stars! —Patrick Weill, author