Reunion at Red Paint Bay by George Harrar, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Simon Howe is the owner-editor of the Register, the only newspaper in the town of Red Paint, Maine. Not much makes news in town — unusual sightings, a high school reunion notice, and the like. Indeed, Simon is considering adding a tagline to the paper: "Nothing happens — and we report it." But business is good enough to justify Simon hiring an employee for the press room. Though David Rigero has a criminal record and has done time for sexual assault, he scored the highest on the application test. And besides, Simon thought he was doing the right thing by giving the man a second chance. But Simon's wife Amy, a psychiatric therapist, sees things differently. To her, a rapist is always a rapist and no amount of time can change that. But Simon begins to have second thoughts himself when someone scrawls "RAPIST" on the paper's front door and he begins to receiving anonymous — and threatening — postcards in the mail, in Reunion at Red Paint Bay, a novel of suspense by George Harrar.

This is a rather uniquely constructed mystery that explores the magnitude of one's lies, guilt, and denial. The plot gradually ramps up the suspense, shifting the focus from Simon's employee to Simon himself and that of his son Davey, an 11-year-old boy with confrontational tendencies. A mysterious stranger in town begins to stalk Simon and his family, before demanding a meeting at his high school reunion, where Simon must take into account his own past while trying to save the present. A good story and well told.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Reunion at Red Paint Bay.

Acknowledgment: Other Press provided a copy of Reunion at Red Paint Bay for this review.