Enemies of Doves

Told in two tone periods we meet Joel and Clancy Fitchett at odds from day one Abe never truly loving brothers. The opening scene sets the stage for what would haunt both brothers in the present. Joel and Clancy both have buried secrets but when Joel wakens in the hospital and asked what happened to him his response of he had no idea or doesn’t know what happened causing a scar on his face leads to an uncovered truth stated by the detective in charge. That was 1932 we move to 1991 and are introduced to Garrison Stark who enters the prison that Joel is housed in wanting information about Clancy claiming he’s his grandfather. Dolly Ellison is his grandmother, but Joel showed no recognition and the result of the visit left him having the guards rescue him from Joel’s grip.

Flashing back to 1941 we learn about Clancy and his gambling problem and watch Joel go to the man named Crawl to pay off his debts. The encounter is chilling, and Crawl is cunning, nasty and self-centered in what he feels is his brand of justice and the encounter leaves Joel knowing he has not seen the last of this dangerous man. Moving ahead to 1991 Garrison is doing research about Clancy and it leads him to meeting Molly and learning Joel is in prison for killing his father a dentist. We hear his father offer him his practice and he turn it down, but his brother had other ideas. But meeting Molly in the library a cute encounter leaves him wondering about his relationship with Amber. Milly is doing a paper about Joel hoping to prove his innocence after all those years. She is skeptical about sharing information but somehow, he wins her over. She has a deadline as the editor of her school’s paper and hints about his next meeting with Joel that he should focus on playing cards.

The encounter is chilling, and you get the underlying impression that Joel is hiding something and then we meet Lorraine Applewhite who both brothers cared for but Joel more and we join her and Clancy on their journey to marriage. She declares she’s going to be a writer and Joel promises to read her book but not before her encounter with Clancy who she met wearing Joel’s shirt. Thinking she was rude to his brother namely Joel she comes to apologize, and their discussion leads to telling him she’s a writer and things get tense between the two brothers.

The author shares how Clancy and Lorraine get together and we meet their father whose control over them is strong and yet we see both defiant at times and the discord between them is tension filled as we get to hear both brothers talking about their mother’s ring and why Clancy was going to give it to Lorraine if she says yes to his proposal. Clancy is a gambler and we know that Crawl is not done with him yet and in the present Garrison and Molly will uncover secrets about both brothers hoping to find out the truth behind their father’s death. The lawyer he had was incompetent and the result cost him his freedom but why take the blame for something she feels he did not do? Conflicting feelings as we get to learn more about Amber the girl that Garrison is supposed to marry and his feelings that are getting stronger for Molly as the both visit Earl Rogers in a nursing facility hoping to learn more about Joel, his family and Dolly. He might be 100 years old but he’s sharp as a tack and what they learn will send them searching for more clues as to where Clancy might be and coming back to see Earl. The time periods flash back and forth and we get to know Clancy more, understand why Joel sees a doctor to try and get silver to put on his scar that everyone claims Clancy caused and the end result of that does not seem successful.

Flashing back to Clancy meeting Lorraine we learn about his haunting feelings about doves and why he thinks they are an omen of something bad to come and caused him to shy away from Lorraine at first. In the present we learn more about Garrison and his relationship with Amber and the fact that she wants him to sell his childhood home, not allowing him time to deal with his parent’s accidents and then we meet his grandmother who has dementia/Alzheimer’s and is lucid enough to tell his about his parents, forgetting at times they are gone and then getting upset when he asks if Clancy is his grandfather. The time periods flash back and forth as we learn more about Clancy and Joel’s relationships and the secrets buried along with his father as we learn that he might have been  doctor but his cruelty might have gotten him killed but why did Joel take the fall?

Two brothers that were hiding a secret and truth and one that has lived his whole life with learning about his father and his family history. What started out for Garrison  who he really is, turns into a saga that will change his life, but will he embrace it or not? Lives are changed as Garrison learns more about his grandfather, Clancy and a man named Crawl who killed for sport and was responsible for a murder that someone else paid for. Lies were told and when Garrison learns the truth about his grandfather, Ray aka Crawl he decides to hide it from Molly whose life would turn upside down and who would hopefully never learn the truth about her Pappy.

But the flashbacks tell the story, we learn what really happened and who was responsible for the murder of Tom Fitchett and the reasons why someone is taking blame for it.
When Garrison meets with Joel in prison their lives intertwine, and he promises Molly an interview only if he finds his true love Lorraine and she visits him in prison.

A meeting that will bring tears to your eyes and a secret that will shock readers as the author takes us inside the hearts and minds of two people that sacrificed it all for someone else but why? Will the ending bring closure to Garrison and will he learn who his real family is? Doves are unique and are usually in pairs and yet some fear them. The author takes us leads us down the paths of several at the end and we learn the truth and the mystery of the title: Enemies of Doves.

Characters that are sharp, strong and vividly depicted and one young man named Garrison that is relentless, hopeful and just wants to be accepted and have a family to love.

Fran Lewis: Just reviews