Author: Jeffrey S.Stephens

Publisher: PostHill Press

ISBN: 978-1-64293-738-1

Jeffrey S. Stephens'latest novel, Fool's Errand, tells the story of a son'sdiscovery of a letter from his father six years after his dad'sdeath.

During his lifetime, hisdad, known as Blackie was constantly boasting about the "BigDeal" or the huge score he was about to carry out to lead him tounimaginable riches.

Not exactly a pillar ofsociety, Blackie was involved with the mob and regularly was found inthe company of shady characters. This was a world foreign to his son,a straight shooter, and determined not to become embroiled with hisfather's business.

Blackie died in anautomobile accident at age fifty under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind his wife, daughter, andson with many bad debts, one of which would have calamitousrepercussions. To put it mildly, Blackie was considerably more of aspender than an earner.

Six years following hisfather's death, the son receives a phone call from his mother, whomentions she has something left to him from his late father.

The son hurries over tohis mother's apartment and is handed a box, which he only opens uponreturning home. His mother is unsure if she is doing the right thingby giving him the box.

As he rummages through thebox, the son comes across photographs, ribbons, medals from World Warll, old letters, and discharge papers. But, there is one finding thatstands out- a white letter-sized envelope containing the inscription,"For My Son." The son does not realize what theramifications affecting his life will ensue with the letter'srevelation.

In the letter Blackierefers to "money" he and his good friend Benny found inFrance. He states that he waited a long time to carry out his move.Benny had indicated to him that he was not interested in involvinghimself with it anymore. He further writes in the letter that hewants to be sure that his son will have it. The son is told that heis to contact Benny to find out more, and if he should not be around,he will have to figure out the puzzle for himself. 

Thus begins the son'sadventure to discover what this dark secret described as "themoney" is all about. A voyage will take him to Las Vegas and theSouth of France, where he will contact two of his father's wartimefriends. He will also learn that his father was embroiled withsomething mysterious at the end of the war that would make them richwith a Frenchman's help whom he met during the war. 

It should be mentioned,during his journey, it never occurs to the son that nasty people arelurking in the shadows that are deeply interested in what he wasdoing. 

To add a little romance tothe narrative, Stephens adds in a love story involving the son and abeautiful woman he meets on a return flight from Las Vegas to NewYork. 

Stephen's has come up witha novel that combines the suspense of a thriller with a captivatingfamily drama. It is a work of fiction as it should be written,gripping, and deeply satisfying. And flowing around the narrative arechilling supporting characters as one excellently rendered scenefollows another. I have to admit that once Stephens gets his hooks inyou, he doesn't let go with a detective story that has a great dealof suspense and unexpected storyline twists.