5-STAR REVIEW: IN THE PALE LIGHT by Westley Smith

Publication Date: August 13, 2024

When Clay Graham and his family are found slain in the parking lot of his struggling business, the police suspect Clay’s troublemaker brother, Terry. Terry claims he was drunk the night of the murders and passed out at home. With little evidence against Terry to make an arrest, the case soon goes cold.

Shunned from the community, harassed by the locals who believe he’s a murderer, and suffering from an undiagnosed illness, Terry lives alone on his farm, punishing himself for his past indiscretions.

Then Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Henry Miller, who has ties to the town and the Graham murders, shows up with newly discovered evidence that kick-starts the case all over again.

Now, before his illness kills him, Terry sets out, battling against small-town secrets and old grudges, racing against time to stay one step ahead of both the State Police and his own impending death, to finally find out what really happened to his family and hopefully prove himself and innocent man –if he is one.

An unsolved triple homicide has haunted Terry Graham for nine years, forcing him to endure all sorts of persecution by a community convinced he is guilty.

Author Westley Smith serves up a gritty thriller with In the Pale Light. Investigators have found new evidence in the murder of the Clark Graham family after almost a decade.

Terry’s character adds plenty of flavor to the storyline. While he admits to getting drunk that night following an argument with his brother, he has maintained his innocence. Add that to his bad temper, and it’s easy for people to think Terry actually did it.

With the new evidence, Terry is determined to get answers. He has ignored a nagging cough for so long that he’s certain it will eventually kill him, but he wants to find out what really happened to his family.

In the process, secrets are uncovered in unexpected places, revealing a much more sinister plot. The twists and turns are effectively woven into the storyline to keep readers guessing until the end.

In the Pale Light serves up justice as a side dish almost a decade in the making.

Westley Smith had his first short story, Off to War, published when he was just sixteen.

He is, more recently, the author of two horror novels, Along Came the Tricksters and All Hallows Eve, as well as the thriller Some Kind of Truth. His short fiction has been published in various magazines and websites. Wes lives with his wife and two dogs in the beautiful woodlands of southern Pennsylvania–the perfect place to hide a body.

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