The Hills Be Shaken

Outstanding novel, brilliantly written and one hell of an explosive story. Little 9/11 has shaken the Police, the FBI and the people of Manhattan, Kansas to the core. As the story develops there are many twists and turns that lead to a very surprising finale. Highly recommended read and worthy of five stars.

4.5★s
The Hills Be Shaken is the second novel by American engineer and author, Michael Stewart. When the Tuttle Creek dam near Manhattan, Kansas, fails on the fourth of July holiday, and ten thousand people die, officials claim it’s due to an earthquake, but experts aren’t convinced. The idea that it may have been a terrorist act gains momentum when there’s a threat against a bridge somewhere in Kansas.

Officer Sam McGuire recalls stopping an armed woman in a Manhattan park on the day. Detective Mickey Shepherd feels they need more officers to question witnesses for clues about whathappened. Retired FBI agent Don Baptiste has been recalled to duty to investigate what really happened during the thing they’re calling The Little Apple Nine-Eleven.

Topeka engineer Moses Haley lost a family member to the disaster, and while his expertise isn’t with dams or bridges, a paper he’s written brings him to the attention of the FBI and the Secret Service. He’s stunned to be pulled out of his Sunday mass for an audience with the highest power in the land. But even more amazing is being recruited into a new division of the FBI, which includes learning to shoot a Glock 23.

In concert with Manhattan PD, Mose methodically investigates, picking up on small elements, uncovering clues, following leads and making deductions. But as he and Sam get closer to learning the truth, there are threats to his family; Mose is shot at, almost drowns, and attempts are made on the lives of his colleagues.

As well as a few engineers, Stewart populates his tale with corrupt county officials and engineering company managers, a persistent journalist, a sole survivor with amnesia, a woman with hidden explosives expertise, and observant detail-oriented investigators. Before the final revelation, there is a bomb threat, a stabbing, a dramatic climax inside a wind turbine, and a spectacular helicopter rescue.

Mose makes an interesting character as his engineering background often gives him a different perspective on what he learns, and a different approach to investigation. The versatile perpetrator employs drowning, a motor vehicle accident, poisoning and shooting, leading to a not-insignificant body count. The plot includes a few Lazarus moments might require the reader to don their disbelief suspenders, but this is an excellent police procedural and more of this cast will be most welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Books Go Social.