Review: Dover Park by Bruce Fottler

Dover Park
By Bruce Fottler
On the eve of summer, a mysterious visitor turns up in a quiet, suburban town. The very existence of this enigmatic presence is a paradox, one that upends the idyllic lives of the Moreaus, a well-respected family of the community. Unsettling revelations are made surrounding a tragic accident that occurred many years ago, and routing out the truth threatens to tear the Moreaus apart. Was the drowning of a close friend in Dover Park an accident...or not?

This offering by Bruce Fottler concerns three related men and their families. Jim Moreau is a successful businessman working in R&D at a manufacturing concern, and his wife Sara and he have two boys, Kevin and Dylan, but long for a girl. That ship has sailed, as Sara recently underwent a hysterectomy.

Jim's brother Tom is a detective for a police department in a city nearby. Both Tom and Jim are somewhat dissatisfied with their jobs, and Jim is about to go into business with Andrew, their cousin, a plumber by trade.

Jim's world and plans are upset by the arrival of a girl who claims to be Jim's seventeen year old daughter Rachael, by a woman who drowned twenty-two years ago. She also claims that she's been living with Jim her entire life, and that his cousin Andrew murdered her mom and has spent the last twelve years in prison. But of course, none of that is possible. Or is it?

Rachael must be lying. The only other option is too incredible to believe - where Rachael is actually from another timeline, where the events she claims to have happened actually... did.

Jim and Tom work together to expose this girl for the hoax she must be, but each piece of evidence they examine makes her story more plausible. From the arrival of Rachael a couple chapters in until the unexpected ending, this book had me on the edge of my chair.

Content:
Violence: Minor.

Language: There are a few expletives in the book.

Sexual Content: Light. There is some sexual tension and innuendos passed back and forth among the men, and a reference to a possible incest attempt. PG.

Spiritual Content: Moderate. God is referenced as the reason why Rachael could have been transported across timelines to a better existence. Church is attended, but the faith of the main characters appears shallow and surface.

Bottom Line:
This book kept me up, and I finished the last half of it in one sitting. It's a page turner. I gave it five stars.


About the Author:
Since exiting a finance career in a world of cubicles, Bruce Fottler has been busy writing novels. His latest is the suspense thriller: "The Initiative: In Harm's Way (Book One)."

Bruce grew up in the Chicago suburbs and moved to the Boston area as a young teen. While seeking a career-track that mostly put him behind a desk, he dabbled in creative pursuits such as producing, writing, and directing film shorts. However, it was always writing novels that interested him the most because they aren't limited by production budgets, technical capabilities, or tight shooting schedules.

Bruce has three other published novels: "Chasing Redemption" (Sci-fi thriller), "Dover Park" (Mystery), and "Paladin's Odyssey" (Post-apocalyptic thriller).

You can visit his Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/BruceFottlerAuthor