 |
Fresh off his last adventure, Matthew Paulson is ready to settle back into an aimless life of being unlucky in love and working as a computer programmer. However, Terry, a man with seemingly endless means and a need for Paulson’s amateur detective skills, has a new job for him. A programmer named Ben Logan has vanished during a hunting trip in Mexico. Matthew will need to fly down in the middle of the night to the village of Alamos and search for any trail. Immediately, he finds plenty to be suspicious of, but things truly escalate when he discovers a false bathtub like the cartels in the area use within Logan’s casita. With a decommissioned mint, pallets of silver coins, and a black market oil trade all tied to Ben’s property, where has the man himself managed to vanish?
The author of this novel lives part-time within the setting he describes in this book and uses that proximity to great effect. The environment, sights, sounds, smells, and the general character of the locals create an ambiance that not only comes to life but likely will appeal deeply to the reader. The mystery itself follows an interesting and unpredictable thread as Ben’s disappearance leaves behind only clues that point to the silver and not to his whereabouts. The entire read is snappy, giving the reader plenty of action and always asking enough questions to make the book impossible to set down. Like all of the best mysteries, the detective work is the framing that gives the audience plenty to experience with exotic travel and colorful characters. After two books, it’s safe for those who’ve been following Paulson’s sleuthing to declare themselves fans of a developing series.