Circle of Influence by Annette Dashofy, a Mysterious Review.

Review: When a young man's body is found in the trunk of Vance Township's board president's car, paramedic and deputy coroner Zoe Chambers works with police chief Pete Adams to learn what happened, in Circle of Influence, the first mystery in this series by Annette Dashofy.

The dead man is the son of Sylvia Bassi, Pete's former secretary, who he was forced to let go on orders of Jerry McBirney, in whose car he was found. McBirney had accused Sylvia of misappropriation of town funds. It is late January, cold and snowy, so any footprints or other evidence would have been long ago erased. Because Pete is the ex-husband of McBirney's current wife, he may be a "person of interest" himself and is relieved of duty with the County police taking over the investigation. As Pete and Zoe look quietly into the case separately, they learn of secrets involving men of power and influence, one of whom may be a sexual predator. They are determined to solve the murder and other crimes as quickly as possible before someone else is hurt.

There is a diverse cast of creatively drawn characters in Circle of Influence, some likable and approachable (the "good guys"), others not so much (the "not-so-good guys"). The small town environment is well-created, one in which nearly everyone has a secret and no one seems quite sure how many others may know of it. So, too, do Zoe and Pete have their own secrets, which make them a most interesting couple to follow along with as they conduct their investigation. A strong, solid start to this series.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Circle of Influence.

Acknowledgment: Henery Press provided a copy of Circle of Influence for this review.

Bridges Burned
Henery Press (Trade Paperback), March 2014
ISBN-13: 9781941962398; ISBN-10: 1941962394

Circle of Influence

A Zoe Chambers Mystery by Annette Dashofy