Steel Toes and Teeth

Book excerpt: In the endlessly hot summer of 1980, newspaper reporter Daniel Palmer finally gets his chance to do an investigation of what could possibly be a once-in-a-lifetime story. The only problem is he has to go undercover to do it. Palmer goes to work at a train-wrecking yard in efforts to find out why multiple supposedly accidental deaths have occurred in a very short period. Initial reports seem fruitless, and the tough physical work makes Palmer ready to call it quits almost immediately. When his boss makes him feel guilty for giving up so easily, he decides maybe he should give things another chance before throwing in the towel. Sooner than he knows it, he finds himself in the lion's den and deep into a seemingly unsolvable mystery that includes death right before his eyes, which creates additional trouble for him and his co-workers while trying to get to the truth. Palmer now knows in his heart that all these supposed accidents may be a cover-up for something much larger. His only chance at confirmation is to trust the people around him. But who can he trust and who must he avoid? If the hard work doesn't kill him first, opening up to the wrong person or persons might. Through a series of sheer luck and relentless fortitude, Palmer sees an opportunity and goes for it. Is the answer to all he is fighting for really there? Who can help him, and who will certainly hurt him? Will he live to write the story he was assigned, or will he become part of a story that will never be told?