Bennington's Secret
A Novel
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About the Book
Phil Blake, a young architect, accepts a commission to renovate an old Queen Anne Mansion in
Belleville, Minnesota, a small city in the southeastern part of the state. Intrigued by the building as well as
its owner, Sandy Winton, he attempts to uncover its history.
In his search for William Ambrose Bennington, the original owner, he finds greed, lust for power and an
illigitimate love affair.
A sinister character, George "Blackie" Wilcot, unknown to anyone in the town, is also in pursuit of the
secrets of the old mansion. His path crosses with Phil Blake on several occassions and attempts are made
on Phil's life. This pushes Phil's pursuit all the harder and he eventually meets "Blackie" under very
strange circumstances.
Ellen Kemp. a local reporter for the Belleville Star Observer, introduces Phil to two "Old Timers", Mr.
Benson and Mr. Effingham, both now in their nineties. Their recollections of the past reveal the true Mr.
Bennington as well as a person known as Clarence Wilcott.
After several mysterious happenings in the tunnel that connected the mansion to the stables, Sandy
Winton is ready to abandon the entire idea of remodeling. Phil's intervention causes her to continue with
the work and a final secret is discovered that changes their lives for ever.
This is a mystery of sadness, romance and a lust for power and money. The final secret leads to
forgiveness that ends with a lasting grace.
About the Author
Harold O. Hansen was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, the fourth child in a family of two sisters and one brother. He was raised during the "GREAT DEPRESSION" and World War II years. He graduated from Central High School and spent the following four years in the U.S.Navy. He earned a degree in Building Construction and Estimating from the Dunwoody Institute and attended the University of Minnesota School of Architecture. He has spent fifty years in the field of architectural design and building construction and is now retired and living in Hudson, Wisconsin. This is his first full length novel.