Nightrise (A Philip Dryden Mystery)
*Starred Review* Kelly’s latest in his popular Philip Dryden series is powerful and deeply affecting, with enough unusual twists to keep even seasoned mystery fans guessing. British journalist Dryden is euphoric over the birth of his first child. But the euphoria is short-lived when the police inform Dryden that his father, who disappeared in 1977, has just died in a violent car crash. The information produces strange and conflicting emotions in Dryden, but even these must be put on hold when his policeman friend alerts him that a body has been found hanging from a watering gantry in a field on the fens. Then a second body turns up, and Dryden also finds himself involved in investigating the death of the baby daughter of a soon-to-be-deported African immigrant. Using his reporter’s nose for news and his unerring way of ferreting out the truth, Dryden eventually discovers a dark secret that links all three cases and even ties into his own father’s death. A not-to-be-missed book, both for the gripping story and for Kelly’s expressive, engaging writing style. --Emily Melton