The Devil May Care by David Housewright, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Ex-cop and now unlicensed private investigator Rushmore McKenzie is contacted by the granddaughter of one of Minnesota's wealthiest citizens to track down her boyfriend, who she hasn't seen or heard from in three days, in The Devil May Care, the eleventh mystery in this series by David Housewright.

Riley Brodin tells McKenzie that Juan Carlos Navarre was supposed to meet her for lunch but didn't show up or call to explain where he was. McKenzie is hesitant to do anything as Riley's grandfather, Walter Muehlenhaus, once tried to frame McKenzie for murder. Too, Muehlenhaus doesn't trust Navarre's intentions towards his granddaughter, believing "the immigrant" was only after her trust fund. Still, McKenzie is curious so starts by visiting Navarre's home, an elegant mansion that it turns out he didn't actually own, but was merely leasing. The place is nearly vacant, with little evidence of someone living there and with no personal effects. He next visits a restaurant that Navarre told Riley he owned, but it turns out he was only a minor investor in it, in no way an "owner". With no friends to talk to and no traceable past, it seems that Riley had fallen in love with a ghost. But a ghost that someone else is searching for, too, as McKenzie quickly learns that wherever Navarre is, it is to hide from his past.

McKenzie is a well-rounded character, someone who doesn't have to work for a living but enjoys helping out people, especially if that help involves using his skills as an investigator. He has a love interest with a woman his own age, one who is very different from him, but one who complements him in many ways. The plot has a nicely structured feel to it and yet isn't predictable. What is a little annoying, however, is McKenzie's "inner voice", which intrudes far too often here and disrupts the flow of the story. Overall, The Devil May Care is a satisfying mystery, though one probably best suited for fans of the series and not necessarily for first-time readers of it.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Devil May Care.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of The Devil May Care for this review.

The Last Kind Word
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), June 2013
ISBN-13: 9781250009609; ISBN-10: 125000960X

The Devil May Care

A Rushmore McKenzie Mystery by David Housewright