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Practice to Deceive (Daniel 'sticks' Hetrick Murder Mystery) Paperback – February 23, 2016

by J. R. Lindermuth (Author), Dave Field (Editor)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 ratings
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Trouble follows Sticks Hetrick when he and Anita Bailey, the new woman in his life, go on a Caribbean cruise. Though he has no jurisdiction, Hetrick assists a Jamaican police inspector investigate two murders which have roots back home in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Officer Flora Vastine, Hetrick’s protégé and the team in Swatara Creek, are probing mysterious assaults on young women which will put Flora’s life in jeopardy. Both Hetrick and Flora will learn the past has consequences which can’t be denied.
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  1. Print length
    244 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    February 23, 2016
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.55 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    161160530X
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1611605303
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Reviewed by Juli Williamson for Readers' FavoritePractice to Deceive is a Sticks Hetrick detective novel. While on a cruise with Anita Bailey, things begin to go missing, the ship's crew needs help, and then the Jamaican police need Sticks' assistance. Not much of a vacation for Sticks or Anita, and things are happening on the home front, too. This novel can stand alone or as one in a series, without a lot of back ground information that could have bogged down the story line. All the characters are fully developed with smarts and heart.

About the Author

The author of six novels in the Sticks Hetrick series, J. R. Lindermuth is a retired newspaper editor and currently serves as librarian of his county historical society, assisting patrons with genealogy and research.His short stories and articles have appeared in a variety of magazines. He is a member of International Thriller Writers, EPIC and the Short Mystery Society.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Whiskey Creek Press (February 23, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 244 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 161160530X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611605303
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.55 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 6 ratings

About the author

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J.R. Lindermuth

J.R. Lindermuth

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J. R. Lindermuth lives and writes in central Pennsylvania. A retired newspaper editor, he now serves as librarian of his county historical society where he assists clients with research and genealogy.

He's the author of 19 published novels and two regional histories. His short stories and articles have appeared in a variety of magazines, both print and online. He is a member of International Thriller Writers and is a past vice president of the Short Mystery Fiction Society.

Additional information on his books and writing is available at www.jrlindermuth.net

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
6 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Douglas Quinn
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Sticks Hetrick Novel from J. R. Lindermuth
Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2012
Verified Purchase
Two Great Mystery/Crime Stories for the Price of One in J. R. Lindermuth's new Sticks Hetrick Novel. Highly Recommended.

Review by Douglas Quinn, author of The Webb Sawyer Mysteries, The Ellis Family Thrillers, Cornelius The Orphan (Historical Fiction/Adventure), and several Children's Chapter Book Mystery Series.[...]).

This is Lindermuth's fifth Daniel "Sticks" Hetrick mystery/crime novel and another great one. In Practice to Deceive, you will get two great mystery/crime stories for the price of one. And, if you haven't already met
Lindermuth's Swatara Creek ensemble cast, you are in for a treat.

Practice to Deceive gives the reader two unique settings where the author deftly moves the reader back and forth between the fictional rural Pennsylvania town of Swatara Creek and a Caribbean cruise ship ported in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Retired Swatara Creek police chief Sticks Hetrick is on vacation with his love interest, attorney Anita Baily, aboard the Queen of the Ocean, a Caribbean cruise ship. But much to Anita's chagrin, his leisure time is interrupted when Sticks is drawn into a series of robberies perpetrated upon the ship's passengers.

Things go from bad to worse when one of their shipmate's husband is found murdered in the Jamaican port town of Montego Bay. He, in fact, was one of those who had been earlier robbed. Is there a connection? The next day, the captain of a charter boat that Sticks, Anita and their friends had contracted for a scuba diving expedition was also found murdered. Since both victims have roots back in Pennsylvania, are the murders related? To make matters worse, Anita finds herself representing one of her friends in their shipboard group who has become a person of interest.

In the meantime, back in Swatara Creek, the new police chief Aaron Brubaker and his police force have their own problems. There is a serial sex offender kidnapping and molesting young women. The strange thing is, there is no rape involved. When one woman dies of a heart attack during an attack, all hell breaks loose; no one is safe and accusations run amok. Once again, small town politics and family secrets stand in the way of the truth.

Needing more information on the victims, from Montego Bay, Sticks requests help from the Swatara Creek police force. While Harry Minnich researches his ex-boss' problem, Flora Vastine finds herself in danger as she uncovers a secret so deep that it shakes the town to its foundations.

Back in Montego Bay, Sticks Hetrick teams up with ship security, local Jamaican police Inspector Barrington Forbes and FBI Agent Tolliver to solve the murders which, according to information from Harry, may have their origins ten years in the past.

Both cases are brought to endings that may surprise you and, although the Montego Bay case has an interesting twist, I will say that the Swatara Creek case is much better disguised in its conclusion.

Practice to Deceive is another great mystery/crime novel by J. R. Lindermuth and is highly recommended.
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wayne d. dundee
5.0 out of 5 stars Lindermuth and Hetrick Combine for Another Winner
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2012
Verified Purchase
This fifth and latest entry in the "Sticks" Hetrick series by John Lindermuth measures up once again to the high standard readers have come to expect. And here John has added some extra sizzle by moving much of the action away from familiar Swatara County, PA, and involving Sticks in one of his most complex cases, aboard an ocean liner cruising the Caribbean. An series of stateroom thefts and the knowledge of Hetrick's police background by certain fellow passengers--some of whom are theft victims reluctant to deal with the shipboard authorities--combine to draw Sticks into the investigation.
Meanwhile, back in Swatara Creek, the police force over which Sticks had once been chief and has remained attached on a special consultant basis, is dealing with their own tense investigation into a series of bizarre assaults on several of the community's young women.
It isn't long before murder gets added to the mix in both cases.
Lindermuth's skilled writing talent cuts smoothly back and forth between the two distinctly different settings and the two disparate investigations. There is a bit of crossover in that more than one of Hetrick's suspects turn out to have Pennsylvania connections so he uses his hometown resources to attain some deeper background. Otherwise--and I don't want to give too much away here--it is a refreshing change that the two cases are not resolved by being intertwined, as is often the case in these kind of set-ups.
Coverups and deceptions from the past--aided by some convenient coincidences in the present--play important factors in solving both cases. There is plenty of suspense, some nifty twists, and a couple of hair-raising close calls before everything is satisfactorily wrapped up. Lindermuth presents a large cast of characters, but paints them so deftly (with just the right amount of color and depth) and keeps the pace moving at such a brisk clip there is never any problem keeping up with who's who.
Well done. Recommended.
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Jalynn Patterson
5.0 out of 5 stars Practice To Deceive Review
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2013
About The Book:
Trouble follows Sticks Hetrick when he and Anita Bailey, the new woman in his life, go on a Caribbean cruise. Though he has no jurisdiction, Hetrick assists a Jamaican police inspector investigate two murders which have roots back home in Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Officer Flora Vastine, Hetrick's protégé and the team in Swatara Creek, are probing mysterious assaults on young women which will put Flora's life in jeopardy. Both Hetrick and Flora will learn the past has consequences which can't be denied.

What I Thought:
Practice To Deceive is a wonderful murder mystery. The author takes you in to the lives of former police chief Daniel 'Sticks' Hetrick and current officer Flora Vastine. The book begins with Sticks trying to have a calm relaxing vacation on a Carribean Criuse Ship, when rooms began to be ran-sacked and later murders. Flora's life is turned upside-down after investigating Jessica Kerlin's abduction escape. And soon after Sally Rickard's assualt, things start to get out of hand. Will Flora and Sticks be able to handle this themseleves or will they be taken out?
This book has many unexpected twist and turns and will keep you guessing.

About The Author:
J. R. Lindermuth is the author of 11 novels, including five in the Sticks Hetrick mystery series set in a fictional rural community near Harrisburg PA. A retired newspaper editor/writer, he is now librarian of his county's historical society where he assists patrons with research and genealogy. He has published stories and articles in a variety of magazines, both print and on line. Excerpts from his novels, reviews and other information are available here or his website.

Disclosure: This book was given to me for free by the Author for my honest review.
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