Tempest at the Helm by David Hunter ****

Tempest at the Helm by David Hunter is a police procedural set on Knoxville, TN with a couple of murders - the mayor's wife and lover, some crazy people, and generous helpings humor and local color. I found this short novel to be an enjoyable whodunit.

 The characters and the setting were well drawn and engaging. However, three of the men were involved with women exactly 20 years younger than themselves. This seemed a little odd.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, until the end when the author climbed up on a soapbox and got down-right preachy about the problems of veterans.

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway on October 31, 2013. I received the book on November 7, 2013.

The book starts with a prologue which is confusingly titled foreword.