Review: Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler

A Mysterious Review of …

Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler. A Kate Reilly, Racing Mystery.

Review summary: The cast of characters in this racing-themed mystery are really quite extraordinary. Not surprisingly, the pace of the story is fast, too, quickly moving from one scene to the next, never veering far off-track, as it were. There is a nice balance of suspense and adventure to the story, one that will have readers anxiously anticipating the metaphorical finish line of the book. (Click here for text of full review.)

Our rating:

Braking Points
Tammy Kaehler
A Kate Reilly, Racing Mystery
Poisoned Pen Press (April 2013)

Publisher synopsis: Kate Reilly can't remember a worse time in her life, on-track or off. She wrecks her racecar at Road America in Wisconsin, sending a visiting NASCAR star to the hospital, and loses her cool on-camera, only to end the day by discovering her boyfriend with a friend of hers. A dead friend.

With little time to grieve, Kate finds herself the pariah of the racing world, the target of vicious e-mail messages, death threats, and a frenzy of blame on racing sites and blogs, including an influential, anonymous blogger who's trying to get her fired. But nothing is as bad as knowing her friend's killer is still out there — and aiming at Kate.

She's riding a roller coaster of emotion, juggling an exciting new sponsor, a boyfriend she's not sure she can trust, and new-found family she doesn't want to claim. Dodging unfavorable media attention and a pit reporter with a bias against women in racing, Kate redeems herself by delivering stunning performances behind the wheel at the next race: Petit Le Mans, the ten-hour endurance classic.

The championship race weekend and an undercurrent of threats on all sides rev Kate's nerves to their limits. From on-track action, to sponsor parties, to the Series awards banquet, she's part of the action, uncovering motives, secrets, and powerful ambitions. Ultimately she learns no one can escape the past — but only a murderer is driven by it.

  

New Hardcover Mysteries for May 2013

The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books has updated its list of new hardcover mysteries with books scheduled for publication in May 2013. Please note that some titles may publish early, and may already be available, and some may be delayed, published at a later date.

Below we're listing those authors with returning series characters, new series characters, and non-series or stand-alone mysteries in separate sections. All titles are available on our May new mystery books page, which will become the default home page for the site on May 1st.

• Authors with mysteries featuring returning series characters (in italics) this month:

Jussi Adler-Olsen (Carl Mørck, Department Q, 3rd) —  Ace Atkins (Quinn Colson, 3rd) —  Ace Atkins (Spenser, 41st) —  Larry Bond (Jerry Mitchell, 4th) —  Gyles Brandreth (Oscar Wilde, 6th) —  Dan Brown (Robert Langdon, 4th) —  Fiona Buckley (Ursula Blanchard, 11th) —  Jane Casey (Maeve Kerrigan, 3rd) —  Ann Cleeves (Vera Stanhope, 4th) —  Reed Farrel Coleman (Moe Prager, 8th) —  Eoin Colfer (Daniel McEvoy, 2nd) —  Deborah Coonts (Lucky O'Toole, 4th) —  Stephen Coonts (Grafton and Carmellini, 5th) —  Gary Corby (Nicolaos, Ancient Greece, 3rd) —  Jack Coughlin and Donald A. Davis (Kyle Swanson, Sniper, 6th) —  Clive Cussler and Graham Brown (NUMA Files, 11th) —  Sally Goldenbaum (Seaside Knitters, 7th) —  Chris Grabenstein (John Ceepak, 8th) —  Alex Grecian (The Murder Squad, 2nd) —  Carolyn Haines (Sarah Booth Delaney, Southern Belle, 13th) —  Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse, Southern Vampire, 13th) —  Carolyn Hart (Death on Demand, 23rd) —  Henry Kisor (Steve Martinez, 4th) —  Dean Koontz (Odd Thomas, 7th) —  Camilla Lackberg (Patrik Hedström, 4th) —  John Lescroart (Dismas Hardy, 14th) —  David Mark (Aector McEvoy, 2nd) —  James McGee (Matthew Hawkwood, 3rd) —  Thomas Mogford (Spike Sanguinetti, 2nd) —  Walter Mosley (Easy Rawlins, 12th) —  Jo Nesbo (Harry Hole, 6th) —  Dennis Palumbo (Daniel Rinaldi, 3rd) —  Caro Peacock (Liberty Lane, 6th) —  Linda Rodriguez (Marquitta "Skeet" Bannion, 2nd) —  Pauline Rowson (Andy Horton, Marine, 9th) —  John Sandford (Lucas Davenport, 23rd) —  Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins (Mike Hammer, 18th) —  Jon Talton (David Mapstone, 7th) —  Victoria Thompson (Gaslight, 15th) —  Steve Ulfelder (Conway Sax, 3rd) —  Elaine Viets (Helen Hawthorne, Dead-End Job, 12th) —  David Whellams (Peter Cammon, 2nd)

• Authors with mysteries introducing characters in a new series (in italics) this month:

Richard Castle (Derrick Storm) —  Elizabeth Corley (Andrew Fenwick) —  Matt Coyle (Rick Cahill) —  Richard Crompton (Detective Mollel) —  Judy Dailey (Sunny Day Burnett, Urban Farm) —  Alaric Hunt (Rachel Vasquez and Clayton Guthrie) —  Edith Maxwell (Cameron Flaherty, Local Foods) —  Kathryn O'Sullivan (Colleen McCabe)

• Authors with non-series or stand-alone crime novels this month:

A. X. Ahmad —  S. J. Bolton —  Courtney Angela Brkic —  Christopher Brookmyre —  Roy Chester —  Ruth Dugdall —  Elanor Dymott —  Glen Ebisch —  Karen Joy Fowler —  Dawn French —  Barbara Hambly —  Michael Harvey —  John Harwood —  Mick Herron —  Joanna Hershon —  Elliott Holt —  Ice-T and Jorge Hinojosa —  Dan Kennedy —  Tom Knox —  Dale M. Kushner —  Richard Lange —  John le Carre —  Chang-rae Lee —  Charlie Lovett —  Charles Martin —  Adam Mitzner —  David Morrell —  Rochelle Ohrstrom —  Benjamin Percy —  Sidney Poitier —  Darlene Quinn —  Cynthia Barton Rabe —  M. J. Rose —  Randy Singer —  Antti Tuomainen

For more information on any of these titles, please visit the May new mysteries page on our website. If you're interested in new paperbacks, visit The Mystery Bookshelf where you can discover a library of new mystery, suspense and thriller books, also updated with May 2013 releases.

Please visit the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books where we are committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.

All the Pretty Hearses by Mary Daheim is Today's Nook Daily Find

MystereBooks is pleased to feature All the Pretty Hearses by Mary Daheim as today's Barnes & Noble Nook Daily Find.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 26, 2013.

Note: The price has been matched by Amazon.com for today only.

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All the Pretty Hearses
Mary Daheim
A Bed-and-Breakfast Mystery (26th in series)

There's no "fun" in "fund-raiser" for Judith McMonigle Flynn when she donates an overnight stay at Hillside Manor for the parish school's annual auction and the winning bid goes to the persnickety Paine family. Then her husband Joe's latest surveillance job ends abruptly when an insurance fraud suspect is blown away. Unfortunately the gun belongs to Joe, who finds himself in a jail cell while Judith tries to find what's left of her mind — and the real killer.

But Joe's dilemma and the unbearable Paines aren't Judith's only problems. Her cantankerous mother, Gertrude, has agreed to let a wealthy parishioner stable a horse in her tool-shed apartment; Cousin Renie is trying to force-feed her loathsome Shrimp Dump recipe to the parish cookbook fund-raising committee; and neighbor Arlene Rankers wants to know why some parish school kids, including her grandson, are sick after the weekly hamburger lunch. What else could possibly go wrong? On the other hand, at Hillside Manor, what can possibly go right?

 

Important Note: This book was listed at the price mentioned above on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

A Grave Inheritance by Anne Renshaw is Today's Third Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature A Grave Inheritance by Anne Renshaw as today's third free mystery ebook (A Novel of Suspense; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 26, 2013 at 7:30 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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A Grave Inheritance
Anne Renshaw
A Novel of Suspense
Publisher: Heatherway Press

Grace and Amelia looked at the gravestone propped up against a tree, its surface tinged green with age and moss. Grace had already scraped away accumulated dirt and grime to reveal a crudely chiseled out initial, name and date. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Amelia read the inscription.

When their parents died, Amelia and Grace Farrell believed they had no other family. Then out of the blue a letter arrives informing them they have inherited a cottage from their paternal grandfather. Amelia and Grace move into the cottage and make Woodbury their home, but when Grace finds a headstone in the garden, they are plunged straight into an age-old mystery.

Infatuated with the handsome vicar, Amelia looks to him for help, and Grace wants to know if he has any gravestones missing. But it is an elderly aunt, and an old diary which hold the answers to secrets long buried. Grace decides to look into their past for the truth, but someone is determined to stop her. Unknowingly, Grace puts both their lives in danger and they realize they must face the consequences so that the dead can be laid to rest at last.

  

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

South River Incident by Ann Mullen is Today's Second Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature South River Incident by Ann Mullen as today's second free mystery ebook (A Jesse Watson Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 26, 2013 at 7:20 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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South River Incident
Ann Mullen
A Jesse Watson Mystery
Publisher: Afton Ridge Publishing

Set against the backdrop of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Jesse's life takes a sharp turn when Athena and Thor, her beloved canines, drag up a severed hand and deposit it on her mother's front porch. With their help, the Greene County Sheriff's department shifts into high gear and conducts a thorough search of the surrounding woods. Their grisly discovery — the frozen, battered body of Mary Keen — prompts an intense man hunt for the killer. There's only one problem: evidence leads the police right back to where they started. The dead woman was wearing Jesse's watch!

Battling freezing temperatures and the beginning of a full-blown mountain blizzard, Jesse and Billy Blackhawk, P.I., set out to prove her innocence and find the real killer. Investigating the death of Mary Keen leads to a trail of greed and police corruption — with extreme consequences. An incendiary situation gets even hotter when Jesse has no choice but to kill … or be killed.

All is not what it appears to be when she stares into the face of a killer and the heart of true evil. She must confront her worst nightmare — a psychopath from her past who has enlisted the help of an unlikely accomplice. When the killer's search for revenge finally ends, bullets fly, and Jesse realizes that her nightmare is not over.

  

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Mixed Messages by Patricia Gligor is Today's Featured Free MystereBook

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Mixed Messages by Patricia Gligor as today's free mystery ebook (A Malone Mystery; Kindle format only).

This title was listed for free as of the date and time of this post, April 26, 2013 at 7:10 AM ET. Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

For a summary of all of today's featured titles, plus any that may have appeared before and are repeat freebies, visit our Free MystereBooks page. This page is updated daily, typically by 8 AM ET.

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Mixed Messages
Patricia Gligor
A Malone Mystery
Publisher: Post Mortem Press

It is estimated there are at least twenty to thirty active serial killers in the United States at any given time. There's one on the loose on the west side of Cincinnati …

It's the week of Halloween and Ann Kern struggles with several issues. Her primary concern is her marriage which, like her west side neighborhood, is in jeopardy. Her husband is drinking heavily and his behavior toward her is erratic. One minute, he's the kind, loving man she married and, the next minute, he's cold and cruel. Ann dismisses a psychic's warning that she is in danger.

But, when she receives a series of ominous biblical quotes, she grows nervous and suspicious of everyone, including her own husband. As the bizarre and frightening events unfold, Ann discovers a handmade tombstone marked with her name, pushing her close to the edge. Will she be the Westwood Strangler's next victim?

  

Important Note: This book was listed for free on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

For more free mystery ebooks, visit our Free MystereBooks page.

Die For Me by Cynthia Eden is Today's Kindle Daily Deal

MystereBooks is pleased to feature Die For Me by Cynthia Eden as today's Amazon Kindle Daily Deal.

The deal price of $1.99 is valid only for today, Friday, April 26, 2013.

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Die For Me
Cynthia Eden
Montlake Romance

She thought her fiancé was the perfect man — until he turned out to be the perfect killer …

Katherine Cole is running for her life, desperate to escape the Valentine Killer — so-called because he stabs his victims through the heart and leaves them holding a telltale single red rose. Still he tracks her to New Orleans and begins carving a bloody path to her door. But this time, Katherine refuses to run any farther. This time, she'll do anything to stop the madman she once loved, even trust the sexy cop promising to keep her safe …

Detective Dane Black never lets his emotions interfere with his job, even as the Valentine Killer surfaces in New Orleans to stalk his prey. But when Dane agrees to protect the killer's ex-fiancée, Katherine Cole, he can't ignore the passion kindling between them. After a single unforgettable night binds them body and soul, Dane knows he won't rest until Katherine is safe in his arms — and the Valentine Killer is dead.

Important Note: This book was listed at the price mentioned above on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Mystery Bestsellers for the Week Ending April 26, 2013

A list of the top 15 Mystery Hardcover Bestsellers for the week ending April 26th, 2013 has been posted by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books.

Kate Atkinson's Life After Life has retaken the top spot this week by a slim margin over Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl. Elsewhere, quite a bit of shuffling in the order of the other bestselling titles.

Two new titles debut this week (below; position in backets).

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[6]: The Hit
David Baldacci

Will Robie is a master of killing.

A highly skilled assassin, Robie is the man the U.S. government calls on to eliminate the worst of the worst — enemies of the state, monsters committed to harming untold numbers of innocent victims.

No one else can match Robie's talents as a hitman … no one, except Jessica Reel. A fellow assassin, equally professional and dangerous, Reel is every bit as lethal as Robie. And now, she's gone rogue, turning her gun sights on other members of their agency.

To stop one of their own, the government looks again to Will Robie. His mission: bring in Reel, dead or alive. Only a killer can catch another killer, they tell him.

But as Robie pursues Reel, he quickly finds that there is more to her betrayal than meets the eye. Her attacks on the agency conceal a larger threat, a threat that could send shockwaves through the U.S. government and around the world.

Purchase Options

          

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[13]: The Mystery Woman
Amanda Quick
— Ladies of Lantern Street (2nd)

Under the plain gray skirts of Miss Beatrice Lockwood's gown, a pistol waits at the ready. For Beatrice is a paid companion on a secret mission — and with a secret past — and she must be prepared to fight for her life at any moment.

Yet she is thrown oddly off guard by the fierce-looking man who joins her in foiling a crime outside a fancy ball — and then disappears into the shadows, leaving only his card. His name is Joshua Gage, and he claims to know Beatrice's employers. Beyond that, he is an enigma with a hypnotically calm voice and an ebony-and-steel cane …

Joshua, who carries out clandestine investigations for the Crown, is equally intrigued. He has a personal interest in Miss Lockwood, a suspected thief and murderer, not to mention a fraudster who claims to have psychical powers. The quest to discover her whereabouts has pulled him away from his mournful impulses to hurl himself into the sea — and engaged his curiosity about the real Beatrice Lockwood, whose spirit, he suspects, is not as delicate as her face and figure.

He does know one thing, though: This flame-haired beauty was present the night Roland Fleming died at the Academy of the Occult. Guilty or not, she is his guide to a trail of blood and blackmail, mesmerism and madness — a path that will lead both of them into the clutches of a killer who calls himself the Bone Man …

Purchase Options

          

Today's Mystery and Suspense Update from Big Fish Games (130426)

Here is today's mystery and suspense update from Big Fish Games …

• The New Release is Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death (Collector's Edition).

• The current Catch of the Week is Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light, just $2.99 through Sunday, April 28, 2013 only.

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Today's New Release is Dark Tales: Edgar Allan Poe's The Masque of the Red Death (Collector's Edition)

Justice is in your hands! A mysterious figure in a red mask has been stalking the streets of a small French town, murdering city officials. The mayor calls you in to help track him down and stop him. But when you arrive, you discover that the townspeople all seem to be cheering for the Red Masque. So who is the real criminal? It's up to you to decide in this thrilling Hidden Object Adventure game!

This is a special Collector's Edition release full of exclusive extras you won't find in the standard version, including: a bonus mystery, where you uncover the origins of the Red Masque; wallpapers, screensavers, and concept art; downloadable music tracks; and an integrated strategy guide.

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour.

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The current Catch of the Week is Sea Legends: Phantasmal Light

After their yacht is sunk by an incredible storm, Jane and Mike are separated! Waking up on a mysterious island, Jane must now figure out what happened and find Mike before it's too late. Explore amazing Hidden Object scenes and solve tricky puzzles as you uncover a terrifying truth on the island. Escape from danger and be reunited with Mike!

A sample version is available to download and play for free for one hour. You can purchase this game at the special price of $2.99 through Sunday, April 28, 2013.

MystereBooks: The Devil's Bounty by Sean Black, Now at a Special Price

MystereBooks is pleased to feature The Devil's Bounty by Sean Black, now available at a special price, courtesy of the author.

The ebook format of this title was priced at $0.99 from the listed vendors (below) as of the date and time of this post (04/25/2013 at 9:00 PM ET). Prices are subject to change without notice. The price displayed on the vendor website at the time of purchase will be the price paid for the book. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your transaction.

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The Devil's Bounty by Sean Black
A Ryan Lock Thriller
Publisher: Sean Black

Convicted of a series of horrific crimes against female college students in Santa Barbara, wealthy playboy Charlie Mendez has fled across the US border into Mexico.

As one bounty hunter after another meets a grisly end at the hands of the murderous drug cartel Mendez is paying to keep him safe, it seems that this is one fugitive destined to remain beyond the reach of the law.

But Mendez hasn't reckoned with former military bodyguard, Ryan Lock, and his partner, Ty Johnson.

      

Important Note: This book was listed at the above mentioned price on the date and time of this post. Prices can and do change without prior notice. Please confirm the price of the book before completing your purchase.

Enter To Win 1 of 100 Copies of Sue Grafton's W is for ...

Think you know what the title of Sue Grafton's next Kinsey Millhone mystery is? If so, you may be one of 100 winners of a copy of the book, courtesy of Putnam.

Visit this page to find the entry form and a list of the official rules. You have only until April 30th, 2013 to enter. The cover (with its title) will be revealed late next week; the book will be published on September 10th, 2013.

Here's a synopsis of the book, from the publisher:

Two dead bodies changed the course of my life that fall. One of them I knew and the other I'd never laid eyes on until I saw him in the morgue.

The first was a local PI of suspect reputation. He'd been gunned down near the beach at Santa Teresa. It looked like a robbery gone bad. The other was on the beach six weeks later. He'd been sleeping rough. Probably homeless. No identification. A slip of paper with Millhone's name and number was in his pants pocket. The coroner asked her to come to the morgue to see if she could ID him.

Two seemingly unrelated deaths, one a murder, the other apparently of natural causes.

But as Kinsey digs deeper into the mystery of the John Doe, some very strange linkages begin to emerge. And before long at least one aspect is solved as Kinsey literally finds the key to his identity. "And just like that," she says, "the lid to Pandora's box flew open. It would take me another day before I understood how many imps had been freed, but for the moment, I was inordinately pleased with myself."

In this multi-layered tale, the surfaces seem clear, but the underpinnings are full of betrayals, misunderstandings, and outright murderous fraud. And Kinsey, through no fault of her own, is thoroughly compromised.

W is for … wanderer … worthless … wronged …

Cinemystery: Hoax Hunters Comic Optioned for Film

The comic series Hoax Hunters by Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley, with illustrations by J. M. Rinquet, has been optioned for film.

Debuting just last year, the clever premise of this series is centered on a the investigators of a reality show, which purports to proving that paranormal activity does not exist all the while covering it up when it finds it.

According to THR, no screenwriter is yet attached to the project.

Ten issues of the comic have been published to date, and collected into two volumes. More information about the first, below; the second is published next month.

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Hoax Hunters
Michael Moreci and Steve Seeley, with illustrations by J. M. Rinquet

Cryptids. Aliens. Monsters. All the world's bizarre secrets — what if they were real? Their existence would be debunked by a reality TV show! Hoax Hunters is that show, publicly disproving all variety of lore. But their real goal is the opposite: as the world's dark corners surface, the hoax hunters cover them up.

This volume of the series includes the first five issues plus the much sought after issue 0.

  

Cinemystery: John le Carré's A Delicate Truth to be Adapted for Film

John le Carré's latest spy thriller, A Delicate Truth, is published today in the UK — and early next month here in the US — and we're learning that William Monahan (London Boulevard, Body of Lies, The Departed) may turn the book into a screenplay for The Ink Factory to produce. (More about the book, below.) The studio is already in post-production for another film adaptation of a le Carré novel, A Most Wanted Man, which is scheduled to be in theaters in the UK in November.

To celebrate the publication of A Delicate Truth, The Ink Factory has also produced a short film inspired by the book, which was released on the author's website earlier today. We've embedded it, below.

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A Delicate Truth
John le Carré

2008. A counter-terrorist operation, codenamed Wildlife, is being mounted on the British crown colony of Gibraltar. Its purpose: to capture and abduct a high-value jihadist arms-buyer. Its authors: an ambitious Foreign Office Minister, a private defense contractor who is also his bosom friend, and a shady American CIA operative of the evangelical far-right. So delicate is the operation that even the Minister's personal private secretary, Toby Bell, is not cleared for it.

Cornwall, UK, 2011. A disgraced Special Forces Soldier delivers a message from the dead. Was Operation Wildlife the success it was cracked up to be — or a human tragedy that was ruthlessly covered up? Summoned by Sir Christopher ("Kit") Probyn, retired British diplomat, to his decaying Cornish manor house, and closely observed by Kit's beautiful daughter, Emily, Toby must choose between his conscience and duty to his Service. If the only thing necessary to the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing, how can he keep silent?

      

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