Hidden Relationships of the Homicide Detective

About the Book

This book is titled Hidden Relationships of the Homicide Detective. The responsibility of overseeing the Homicide Unit and my everyday exposure to witnessing violent crimes throughout the city of Birmingham led me to write this fiction novel that depicts a young man who takes a circuitous route in his quest to restore the luster in his parents’ dismal marriage. While in pursuit of what he believes is the key to restoring happiness in his family, Trey Wilcox meets some interesting people who at one time or another crossed paths with his dad, along with other amazing discoveries. But more than anything else, this long and winding voyage reinforces his belief that family and lifelong relationships are vitally important for survival. This book is designed to help restore family values, to encourage friendly relationships, and to truncate the rise in the number of dysfunctional families across the globe. It is also designed to uplift victims of violent crimes who might still be in despair because of the unwarranted trauma they have experienced. It will also help them understand that irrespective of the odds that they currently face, they can pick up the fragments of their broken lives and rise far above that experience. This is a must read for adults of all ages. But with the vast majority of youths in the world maturing as quickly as they do, I envision upper-class high school age as a starting point for marketing this book. This is definitely a must read for high school seniors as they prepare to enter college and adulthood in a world filled with an assortment of surprises, traps, and vices designed to trip them up. It serves as an eye-opener for all of us, irrespective of whether we, or any of our family members, have ever been the victim of a violent crime. As a matter of fact, the content in this book is written in such a manner that it serves as a great read for every family and ideal for public libraries. Throughout this book, we are reminded just how fragile life and relationships are, as many of us take for granted on a daily basis that one incident is all that separates us from an enormous setback, irrespective of our current walk of life.

About the Author

Herman L. Hinton retired in 2013 from his position as deputy chief of police of the Birmingham Police Department after thirty years of service. Prior to that assignment, he commanded the homicide unit for more than eight years. He is also the author of Life Is So Simple When We Choose to Love God’s Way. Seventeen-year-old Trey Wilcox believes his father, homicide detective Terrell Wilcox, may be having an affair. After the sergeant is in a near-fatal automobile accident with a drunk driver, Trey goes to retrieve his belongings from the wrecked car—only to find a strange cell phone among them. With his dad in the hospital, Trey keeps track of the numbers calling the phone, hoping that the detective will have a good explanation once he has recovered. Unable to wait, however, Trey calls the first number and meets Teresa Lowery, a gregarious thirty-five-year-old paraplegic who apparently knows his father. After hearing his story, Teresa decides to help him with his investigation. Working together, they encounter several strangers who have crossed paths with Trey’s father—and make several amazing discoveries that they are not prepared to handle. Slowly but surely, they make their way down a long and winding path as they attempt to unearth the hidden relationships in Terrell Wilcox’s life. Set in Chasten City, Alabama, during the winter of 1997, this novel shares the story of a young man coming of age and confirming his belief that family and lifelong relationships are vitally important for survival.