Among the Departed
A Molly Smith Mystery by Vicki Delany
Review: When a local boy goes missing, the police are immediately on the scene. A canine unit quickly locates the boy in a wilderness campground, safe and sound, but while pawing the nearby earth, the dog also comes up with some human bones in Among the Departed, the fifth mystery in this series featuring Trafalgar (BC) constable Molly Smith by Vicki Delany.
Forensics determine the bones have been in the ground for about 15 years, about the right time frame when Brian Nowak, the married father of two children, Kyle and Nicky, went out for a walk one Sunday morning and never returned. Molly was a childhood friend of Nicky, and watched as the family imploded on itself afterwards. Mrs. Nowak became a recluse; Kyle turned to art, painting dark and disturbing images; while Nicky ran away from home at 16, living life as a prostitute in Vancouver. The only evidence at the time that something was wrong was the transfer of a large sum of money into the Nowak's bank account just before Brian's disappearance, and then the withdrawal of the same amount the next day. But now that his remains have been found, can the family find closure ... and can the police determine what really happened 15 years ago?
The reopening of the cold case in Among the Departed extends to Molly's personal life as well. Not only was she possibly the last person to see Brian alive -- she was waiting outside for her mother to pick her up after spending Saturday night on a sleepover at the Nowak's house when he left for his walk and was not seen again -- but the officer in charge of the investigation at the time, Paul Keller, is now a senior ranking police officer ... and is now courting Molly's mother, Lucky. The contrast between the two -- Paul, an authority figure in the community, and Lucky, a radical from the 60s, who named her daughter Moonlight -- offers a bit of levity as they pursue a romantic relationship. The other characters that play a role in the case, some on the admittedly eccentric side, add interest and help round out the story. This fast-reading and nicely plotted mystery is another solid entry in this entertaining series.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Among the Departed.
Acknowledgment: Maryglenn McCombs Book Publicity provided an ARC of Among the Departed for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
Winter of Secrets
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), November 2009
ISBN-13: 9781590586761; ISBN-10: 159058676X
Location(s) referenced in Among the Departed: Trafalgar, British Columbia
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Among the Departed by Vicki Delany
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-10: 1-59058-924-6
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-924-3
Publication Date: May 2011
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): Fifteen years ago a young girl by the name of Moonlight Smith went to her best friend Nicky Nowak’s house for a sleepover. Moonlight joined the family for breakfast the following morning and was then picked up by her mother. Shortly after, Mr. Nowak went for a walk.
He was never seen again.
Autumn has arrived on the mountains above Trafalgar, B.C., and the promise of winter is in the air. Constable Molly Smith is cuddled by the fireplace with Adam Tocek of the RCMP when Tocek and his dog Norman are called to a wilderness camping ground to join the search for a little boy who snuck away from his family looking for bears.
The child is found, dirty, terrified, weeping, but unharmed. Then the inquisitive Norman digs up something else: human bones.
The ID isn’t positive, but it is enough to have Sergeant John Winters of the Trafalgar City Police pulling old boxes from the basement to re-open the Brian Nowak investigation. He finds a family shattered beyond recognition by the disappearance of their husband and father. Mrs. Nowak is an empty shell of a woman, dressed in pajamas, never leaving the house. Her son Kyle haunts the streets of Trafalgar at night and spends his days creating beautiful, but highly troubling, art. Nicky Nowak lives in Vancouver and has grown up to be gorgeous, charming, elegant. Yet behind that facade lies a woman whose heart has closed so tightly against human relationships she comes to Trafalgar trailing in her wake a terrifying threat to another innocent family.
As the investigation into the life and disappearance of Brian Nowak grows, old secrets are brought to light and new ones struggle to remain hidden.