Review: Enjoyable mystery
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 07 1, 2014
Presumed Dead, a Carena Press e-book by Shirley Wells is an interesting mystery set in Lancashire Town of Dawson's Clough, England.Dylan Scott, recently prison released former detective sergeant, wrongly imprisoned for mistreating a suspect, has lost his self-respect, been kicked out by his wife and lives in an ultra-small apartment. His mother, a still active `hippy' whom he loves but preferably at a distance, insists on joining him. Now a registered P.I. with few clients, he receives a call from Holly Champion who, impressed with his having earlier found a lost person, insists he discover what happened to her mother, Anita, who had disappeared 13 years ago. Local police, as well as most people, attribute gorgeous, fun-loving, free-loving Anita's disappearance to leaving the area for a better life. Conversely, with the P.I.'s patient and persistent interrogation of former friends, lovers and acquaintances, numerous bits of information surface leading to a more sinister scenario.Dylan, a somewhat stereotypical male with no understanding of his wife's needs, otherwise is acceptably characterized, the pace is a little slow but the plot sufficiently complex to make this an interesting read. Reviewed by John H. Manhold, award winning fiction/non-fiction author.3* Enjoyable mystery