Double Indemnity by Robert Whitlow debuts June 6, 2023, as his twenty-second novel. Whitlow won the 2001 Christie Award for Contemporary Fiction. Four of his books have been made into movies. He is a practicing attorney in North Carolina.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Thirty-year-old Connor Grantham pastors a small church in Bryson, Georgia. A deeply philosophical man, he prefers hiking and reading to socializing. Being single in a small town also leads to inevitable matchmaking efforts from friends. Others treat the status of an unmarried pastor with rumors and speculation.
Attorney Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Acosta is the newest hire at Pollard and Associates. For her first year, she has mostly served as a Spanish interpreter for her boss, Howard Pollard.
The story unfolds in alternating viewpoints of Attorney Liz Acosta and Pastor Connor Grantham.
Liz’s landlord invites her to a church social where she meets Pastor Connor Grantham. Their common friends encourage them to meet in not-so-subtle maneuvers as friends do when they play matchmaker.
The real driving force that brings them together is the unhappy marriage of Matt and Elena Thompson. Elena hires Liz to look into her financial situation in case Matt asks for a divorce. Poor Connor is dragged into the thick of the Thompsons’ unhappiness when they seek marital counseling. Matt spends time in Atlanta to keep his tech business running, but his business partner wants to sell.
The pacing of the story accelerates after Matt goes to a company deer hunt at the Burnt Pine Tree Hunting Lodge. Matt dies of a gunshot wound alone in the woods. Was it an accident? The list of suspects grows as Liz and Connor are drawn deeper into their separate counseling duties for the widow. Both the widow and the business partner benefit from the double-indemnity clause of life insurance policies on Matt. Toss in Matt’s ex-wife Anne and their two daughters, who live in Atlanta, and the investigation flows in many directions with shocking allegations.
The dialogue is lean and believable for the characters. Whitlow’s descriptions of Connor’s hikes in the woods resonate as those of an experienced outdoorsman, part awe, part joy. The characters suit a small-town setting where secrets race ahead of the truth. The surprises and plot twists keep the reader guessing until the end.
Readers of John Grisham and Sheldon Siegel will enjoy this legal drama.
