Shroud of Evil: A DI Andy Horton Mystery

In Rowson’s absorbing 11th Andy Horton mystery (after 2013’s Death Surge), PI Jasper Kenton has been missing for less than 24 hours, yet Detective Chief Inspector Bliss of Portsmouth CID orders Horton to investigate. Horton, resentful that he has to pursue this mundane inquiry, calls first on Kenton’s business partner, Eunice Swallows, whose unhelpfulness just adds to his irritation. The next day Kenton’s locked car is found in a resident’s parking space outside a Portsmouth apartment building. But where’s Kenton? Embittered by a childhood spent in foster homes and his wife’s desertion, the short-tempered but tenacious Horton presses on after the case takes a dark turn. Meanwhile, Horton contends with hostile coworkers and continues his frustrating search for his mother, who disappeared 30 years earlier. The backstory can be confusing for newcomers, but a compelling protagonist and mounting suspense make the book hard to put down. (Aug.)