Janis Anderson Yelton

For a Mother's Love Janis Anderson Yelton

For A Mother's Love is a gripping murder mystery involving a widow, Peggy Conover, and her sons, Drew and Nathan.

Drew has been on death row for fourteen years, convicted of the murder of two classmates and one of his high school teachers. All three victims were viciously beaten to death with the same blunt object - an object which has never been found or identified.

The trial was over, the appeals exhausted and nothing else could be done. At Drew's insistence, Peggy had reluctantly agreed to leave the prison before the execution, as Drew did not want her to witness it. The warden made arrangements for her to be driven off the prison grounds after they had said their good-bye's. As she left the premises, she watched the minute hand as it approached the hour. She could hear the roar of the crowd in the distance. Drew was gone.

The reader is taken back to Drew and Nathan's childhood and their high school years, where the reader becomes suspicious of many who may have committed the murders; but, one by one, each is eliminated.

The criminal defense points to a janitor at Drew's high school, who discovered the body of the third victim, and days later disappears - an individual who also had access to the victims and had been dismissed from previous employment for harassing female students. But, the janitor could not be found.

The prosecution's case is strong, showing evidence of Drew's involvement with each of the victims. In fact, they offer motive, saying Drew was obsessed with Jill Cummins - so obsessed that he attempted suicide after their break-up. Her bludgeoned body was found only three weeks after Drew's suicide attempt. The second victim was Jill's close friend, and the murdered teacher was her guidance counselor.

When the janitor is finally located, he is questioned. Was Drew executed for a crime he didn't commit? And if so, where and what is the murder weapon?

The ending takes the reader by surprise. Just how much will someone do For A Mother's Love?

This is an "easy read," defined by the author as a fast moving story written to entertain.