SIDNEY, Ohio, Nov. 17, 2009 — Small towns often hold big secrets. When a community in Ohio becomes the headquarters of a national militia-style attack, those secrets come spilling out. Take a trip to the idyllic midwestern town of "Averton" (published by AuthorHouse), the engaging new novel by Terry Pellman.
Kelly Hastings is up for retirement from his position as chief detective for the Averton, Ohio police department. His career has been stellar and impressive, and he glumly looks forward to what he sees as an uneventful second career as a college instructor. Kelly is also notorious for having a weakness for women, and his first marriage ended in infidelity. He is now married to Mollie, who worries about her husband’s faithfulness but stays by his side.
The peacefulness Averton is known for is abruptly shattered one night by a pair of bombings resulting in civilian deaths and the murder of a local war hero. Overnight, the small town becomes the media focus of the world as rumors spread that an anarchist group has selected the town at random to demonstrate the futility of the government's ability to protect its citizens.
Unknown to Kelly, his close friend, Franklin Norwood, is a former member of a radical offshoot of the Minutemen, a super-patriot paramilitary group that was active during the 1960s and '70s. After a stint in prison and an identity change, Norwood is attempting to dissolve the solidarity of the United States. He plans to force Americans to arm and protect themselves and exploits the nation's political discord, calling for state sovereignty and urging secession to bring his plan to fruition.
When the chief of police is murdered, Kelly takes over. What he doesn't know is that Norwood is out to blackmail him. When an alluring woman makes herself sexually available to Kelly, he unwittingly pursues her. Will he realize that she is only using him for information? What will happen to the United States if the militia groups succeed? Find out in the action-packed pages of "Averton."
Terry Pellman is a retired public welfare administrator who now works as a freelance newspaper writer. A scholar of domestic extremist groups, Pellman is a graduate of Urbana (Ohio) University and lives in Sidney, Ohio, with his wife, Sandy. He is also the author of "The House on Weston Road" and "Phobia Dreams: Wistful Stories and Eclectic Tales."
AuthorHouse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.authorhouse.com.
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