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Parted Waters

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Passion and betrayal are unleashed when charismatic, but ruthless Ben Drake and his followers arrive to establish a cult-like community in a peaceful New Hampshire village, The clash of cultures between the strangers and the townspeople is inevitable, ultimately affecting every one of Grantville's residents, but none more than the Sheridan family. Police Chief Peter Sheridan is forced to defend his family against the outsiders, but his beautiful, naive daughter Katherine becomes dangerously captivated by Ben's powerful magnetism and son Josh becomes helplessly involved with an unsavory settler. A community is torn apart and the question is, can it be put back together?

200 pages, Paperback

Published January 25, 2021

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Deborah Cook

23 books7 followers

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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Author 1 book11 followers
July 15, 2021
The characters’ lives are a bit banal at first. Ben is a megalomaniac from the start, and his girlfriend Melissa is such a tool, rescripting her entire life just to get Ben’s attention. Peter, the local police chief has a perfect family and goes out weekends on his boat. His wife Julia, when not soccer-momming, gardens, and their perfect teenage kids concern themselves with proms, boyfriends and exams.
The inciting incident for Ben was when his beloved childhood horse got caught in a barbed wire fence and had to be shot, prompting him to dream of a world without government controls.
Against the wishes of Julia and the Land Grant, Ben buys the old McPherson Farm, several hundred acres near the small New Hampshire town of Grantville. Now they’re felling trees and constructing buildings, all without planning permission. Scores of families have moved in, and their children aren’t going to school. Peter’s daughter Katherine has a surprising encounter with Ben, and his son Josh is befriended by the settler Rafael.
The suspense builds marvellously. First, the settlers start construction, then they join the library committee, then they attend a council meeting “just to watch”. Little by little, they take over the town. And they have guns. Ben runs for mayor, and wins without even campaigning, and soon there’s a settler winning every position in town.
Despite her misgivings, Katherine goes out with Ben. Josh has an accident, and the doctors find opiates in his system. Rafael feels guilty for supplying him and befriends a little girl, Ella, promising to teach her things since she doesn’t go to school.
The settlers’ disregard for regulations and their wanton cutting down of trees have tragic environmental and social consequences. High-minded principles give way to personal vendettas, with dire consequences for everyone.
The idea of out of towners taking over a town seems patterned after the experience in Oregon of Bhagwan (Osho). But truth may be stranger than fiction, there. The true story of Rajneeshpuram offered, as well as libertarian separatism, the additional dramas of a strange cult religion, biological terrorism, and corruption and criminality of the leaders.
In this story, in places I found the plot and phrasing to be ordinary. Staircases are always ‘rickety’, belongings are always ‘meagre’ and sportcars are always ‘flashy’. However, it’s very well written, and the characters are very good. An excellent novel, but don’t expect a happy ending.
16 reviews
May 3, 2021
I was very impressed with this writer’s first published book. She pulled together interesting, compelling characters in a fast moving narrative with an underlying goal - to make us aware of the dangers to our planet and ecosystem without proper regulation.
Our planet was created beautifully (and I believe created by an outside intelligent and loving source, not by random molecules joining up to create life in the so called “primeval stew”) and yet is being slowly desecrated by our selfish actions.
I grew up in a steel town in Ohio that was famous for its river, which frequently caught on fire because of all the pollutants dumped into it over the years. This book addresses the underlying danger of not caring for our planet that provides us substance.
Loved the characters, the plot was intriguing - my only complaint is I did not like the ending. But it’s the authors choice, not mine, how books are wrapped up. I like happy endings!
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