Fredrickson delivers on the promise of A Safe Place for Dying
(2006), a Shamus Award finalist, with this fine follow-up. When an attorney informs PI Vlodek “Dek” Elstrom that he’s been named executor of the estate of Louise Thomas of Rambling, Mich., curiosity and a $700 fee are enough to send Dek from his home in Rivertown, Ill., to desolate Rambling, even though he’s never heard of the deceased woman. Dek finds more mystery in Thomas’s shack—blood spatters, remnants of a frantic search and an old Underwood typewriter. Dek eventually figures out how he and Thomas connect, but in the process unearths mysteries involving an advice columnist, a bank robbery, arson and murder. Dek is an appealing combination of bloodhound and bulldog, albeit one still in the puppy stage. Fredrickson’s light touch, nicely drawn secondary characters and clever plotting make this a promising series with enough substance to make a meal, not just a snack. (Jan.)
