Mutual Destruction

"It was never enough. Salary, bonus, stock options. Free checking, free ATM withdrawals. Then sock it to 'em for all the other services." With an out-of-control mortgage and banking system leading to the ruin of many people's financial and personal lives, we come to the heart of Jeff McCune's first novel. Mutual Destruction follows married couple, Stitch and Sandy Leslie, as they undertake an investigation of a secretive multimillionaire, DK Devaney, who helped spur the economic collapse of a particular bank. Their close friend, Hank, lost his job and family in the fall out of the bank's collapse. As they help Hank rebuild his life, they carry out their investigation of DK, and his shady enterprises. McCune keeps readers entertained with multiple, intertwining supbplots. Stitch and Sandy are the main narrators, but readers get to see the story through Hank and DK's point of view as well. And while McCune effectively keeps the plot moving and filled with tension and mystery, he tends to use excessive adjectives throughout. McCune does a good job of creating characters who readers can both empathize and sympathize with. Though the book has an engaging plot and characters, there are a few typos and several instances when quotation marks are used to denote the characters thoughts. Consequently, it isn't clear whether they are thoughts or spoken conversations. This makes a few of the conversation scenes a little confusing. Mutual Destruction will be of interest to readers who enjoy mystery, suspense, and multilayered fiction. Due to the current financial uncertainty, many people may dread reading about economics, mortgages, and investments. Mutual Destruction, however, is one bank failure that readers can enjoy. From the ForeWord Clarion Review by Laura Munion Three Stars (out of Five)