Stress Fracture by D.P. Lyle

"The sad truth is that a high body count helps solve these cases. One scene, even two or three, rarely offers enough evidence to identify the perpetrator. But as the horrors pile up, each scene and each victim adds another sliver of evidence that later rather than sooner sticks together enough to close the loop. When the loop does close, when the killer is captured or killed, when hindsight kicks in full force, you always...always...ask yourself why you didn't close it sooner. Why the final one, two, three, pick a number victims weren't saved. Seems like it's always that way. I hate it, but what are you going to do? It is what it is."
                          -Dub Walker, from the novel

This is the second novel I've read by D. P. Lyle, a Huntsville High School class of '64 classmate of mine. The first was Hot Lights, Cold Steel which I enjoyed several months ago. With a 50th reunion coming up I remembered I had wanted to read another so I grabbed a copy of this one at the library and started in, with hopes of meeting the author at one of the get-togethers. Stress Fracture did not disappoint, in fact it turned out to be a page turner; I finished in just a few days.

Main character, Dub Walker, forensic expert and police consultant has his hands full in this thriller. He is baffled by a series of murders, more violent than any he has encountered. And one of the victims was a former sheriff and close friend, making it quite personal. At times the perpetrator seems cold and rational, at other times, madly out of control. The investigation led by Walker and his friend, Tommy Tortelli of the Huntsville Police Department, seems to lead eventually to an experimental drug being tested in cases of PTSD. I don't want to spoil the plot, but suffice it to say you may be more respectful to telemarketers on the phone after reading this one!

I will give this novel a rating of 5 and will look for more by this author, especially featuring Dub Walker, as I've come to know and like this character. I have gotten such a kick out of Lyle's setting of Huntsville, AL, my hometown, with his frequent mentions of streets, restaurants and other landmarks so familiar to me. In Stress Fracture there's a mass shooting in Parkway Place Mall where we have browsed and shopped many times.

I did get to meet author Doug Lyle at the reunion. I spoke with him briefly; his attention seemed much in demand. I didn't have a chance to ask him why the pages of the two books have what looks like ink splotches. I've wondered if that is to represent blood spatter. I had planned to buy one of Lyle's books and have him autograph it but neither of the large local bookstores had any available. It seemed a shame to me that a local author's work would be so hard to find.