Breached

Breached is a mystery novel about adults surviving personal betrayal. Diane's capacity for trust is destroyed by abusive parents. Art's trust in himself is shattered by his Viet Nam combat experience. Detective Raker's yearning for intimacy is stifled by grief following his wife's death. Lake Hannah residents rally to recover trust in their community leaders. Following his critically acclaimed debut novel, Deadly Portfolio: A Killing in Hedge Funds, author John J. Hohn offers Breached, a suspenseful, fast-paced sequel. The story is set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina where Detective James Raker meets up with an old high school classmate. Their reunion, however, is interrupted by murder. Gunned down is state dam inspector Norm Dennison who dies before he can prove to the homeowners around Lake Hannah that Vernon Brost, a developer, has launched an elaborate scheme to defraud them. The threat to Brost's plans does not go away with Dennison's death, however, as Dennison's widow turns over the dead man's files to Art Nichols, a Lake Hannah resident and a friend of the retired detective, James Raker. Thugs ransack Nichols' home to recover the documents. Not finding them, they decide to break into Raker's home where they are surprised by Raker's girl friend, Diane Welborn. Welborn is knocked unconscious and the house is set ablaze. Together Nichols, a Viet Nam veteran, and Raker begin tracking down the intruders. Welborn is hospitalized in serious condition. While in a coma, she recalls her painful childhood, her unsuccessful first marriage and her struggles to find fulfillment after her divorce. Raker's concern for her injuries drives him in his pursuit of her attackers. Breached is a fast-paced realistic literary mystery with a sharp focus on character development.