The Mercy Of The Tide by Keith Rossen

 

Riptide, Oregon is a small Oregon fishing town, the kind of town where kids can't wait to leave.  It is further depressed by a recent car wreck that killed two women.  One was the sheriff's wife and the other was a wife and mother of two children, Sam and Trina.  Sam is a senior planning on a road trip after graduation with his friend but now trying to think of a way to tell him the trip is off after all their planning and saving.  He needs to take care of his little sister, Trina who is nine and reading books about nuclear holocaust to try to take back control of her life.

Things start happening.  Sam, Trina and his friend find a skeleton buried in the local park, an Indian girl from a century ago who was killed by an animal.  On the beach, feral dogs and cats are being found mutilated maybe by an descendant of that animal.  Hayslip, a deputy fighting depression and alcohol, becomes obsessed with the skeleton and it's ties to a mystic Indian superstition.  When a new death occurs and appears to also be by the same animal, he spins out of control and is put on suspension.

Keith Rossen is an author and graphic designer.  He has created a world in a small town where everyone knows everyone and their business and depend on each other to make it through.  The hero of the book is Sam, who although no whiz kid, is a kind guy who is loyal and takes care of everyone around him, the kind of kid who is often overlooked.  The various threads weave together to end up in a climax that satisfies the reader.  This book is recommended for literary fiction readers.