Synopsis:
Oppenheimer was just the beginning. When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father’s death but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke’s research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford’s harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy.
A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual.
Praise for Tangles:
“Although fiction, Tangles reveals many truths about our radioactive legacy…a brilliant, captivating ride. ” –Joshua Frank, Award-winning investigative journalist, NYT contributor, author, Atomic Waste
“In a well-crafted debut, Smith-Blum provides the reader a ringside seat to the birth of the nuclear age…a beautifully written, important story…Tangles packs a punch and hits close to home.” –Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling author of The Tracy Crosswhite Series
“Kay Smith-Blum’s prose is haunting and hopeful, capturing the complexity of emotions that go with loss, love, and the quest for justice. She effortlessly shifts between narratives and the fear-filled decades of the Cold War.” – Readers Favorite
Author bio:
An Austin, TX transplant and lifetime environmental advocate, Kay Smith-Blum has resided in Seattle for more than four decades. Since selling a family-owned high-end fashion business in 2016, history buff Smith-Blum spends her days creating stories set in the mid-20th-century. The recent upheaval over leaking waste tanks at the Hanford site in Washington state compelled her to write a Hanford story in a way that would educate and entertain readers, resulting in her debut novel, Tangles. A companion short story to Tangles is featured in the 2024 anthology, Feisty Deeds: Historical Fictions of Daring Women, which Smith-Blum co-edited. She has published a variety of other short works that can be found in multiple literary journals. Smith-Blum works out her writer’s block in her sons’ gardens and the nearest lap pool. To learn more, please visit KaySmith-Blum.com and follow the author on Instagram @discerningksb, TikTok @ksbwritesfiction and Facebook @kay.smithblum.
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About the Book
Title: Tangles
Author: Kay Smith-Blum
Release date: December 3, 2024
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Price: $21.95 USD (paperback)
ISBN (paperback): 9781685135065
Pages: 286
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