Kay Smith-Blum

In 1963, Luke Hinson, a PhD student of biochemistry at Oregon State University, is investigating all possible causes for the increase in cancer in the region. Luke has a personal interest in the research, as many of his childhood friends died of cancer and his own father died from unidentified health hazards. During his research, a whale is harpooned off the Oregon coast, and Luke discovers it is contaminated with radiation. He suspects radioactive waste dumped into the Columbia River is the source of the contamination. When he plans to publish his findings in a scientific journal, the US Atomic Energy Commission pulls the funding for his doctorate and confiscates his samples and data.

As a child, Luke lived in Richland, Washington State, next door to Mary and Matt Boone, a young couple who both worked at Hanford, a nuclear site established during World War II.  In his teen years, Luke developed a close friendship with Mary, based on a mutual love of science. Mary worked as a secretary at Hanford, in a classified laboratory testing plutonium. Concerned about the impact of radioactive waste being pumped into the Columbia River, Mary made carbon copies of her work. Several years later, while Luke is at college, Mary mysteriously disappears, and the classified papers she smuggled out of the lab, disappeared with her.

As Luke continues with his investigation, his research takes him back to Richland, his relationship with Mary, and the wartime effort to build an atomic bomb. When a thirteen year old time-capsule is unearthed, the truth about Mary’s work at Hanford and her disappearance is finally revealed.

Tangles is a historical fiction novel by Kay Smith-Blum, set during World War II and the cold war period, and inspired by real people and events. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, the novel delves into the circumstances surrounding the environmental disaster at the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant. Smith-Blum does a fantastic job of weaving together real-life events with fictional characters, creating a narrative that allows readers to connect with this significant period in history. At the heart of the novel is a story of love, tragedy and loss, that both warms the heart and tugs at the heart strings.

Star rating:  5 Stars 

Summary: A fascinating and thought-provoking historical fiction novel, with two memorable characters and a gripping plot inspired by real-life events.