Nina Blakeman

Four men, united by a shared history and a secret they have harboured for ten long years.

Every May for the last ten years, four men have been brought together for the anniversary of the death of their high school teacher, Otis Watt. A vigil is held to commemorate Otis’s passing, and high school friends, Andy, Gary, Hal, and Monty are forced to relive the events of ten years ago. Otis was brutally attacked on the banks of the Arkansas River, after their high school graduation. The four men know more about the attack than they have previously revealed and are sworn by a dark secret that has bound them together for a decade. Each man has gone his own way since the incident, but as they try to move on with their lives, they are haunted by the events of that fateful night. May 2019, the men reluctantly meet before the vigil to put on a united front and to get their story straight. But, when Otis’s daughter, Angela, is found dead at the same high school, the complex web of lies and deceit begin to unravel. Angela had asked to speak to Monty before the vigil, and he was one of the last to see her alive. Monty’s brief liaison with Angela could implicate him in her death and tie him to the death of her father ten years ago. As the investigation into Angela’s death ensues, the lives and loves of the four men intertwine, while they recall events from their teen years. Meanwhile, Monty's tyrannical father and Judge, Winston Reardon, is determined to make a soldier out of his son.

The Peace Talk by Nina Blakeman is a gripping, twisty, tale about a group of four men, who share a dark secret from a decade ago. There is no love lost between the men, but their lives became forever entwined when their high school teacher was viciously attacked following their high school graduation. Ten years have passed since the fateful night, but the consequences of their actions still loom large. The event that bound them together a decade ago, now threatens to tear their lives apart. The narrative is compelling and emotionally charged as the author slowly peels back another layer of each character’s psyche, and the circumstances that led to the event.

Star rating: 5 Stars

Summary: A gripping and twisty tale, and a masterful exploration of how a single event can impact one’s life forever.