No Second Chances: A Daniel Whelan Mystery

British author Stacey’s solid fourth Daniel Whelan mystery (after 2014’s Tell No Lies) finds the former British policeman delivering animal feed around the Devon town of Tavistock, accompanied by his retired police dog, Taz. When Daniel interrupts two men menacing one of his customers, Lorna Myers, he and Taz drive them off. Daniel learns from Lorna that the villains were seeking her husband, whom she has not heard from in some time. The next day, Lorna’s 15-year-old daughter, Zoe, contacts Daniel because she’s concerned by the disappearance of her boyfriend, Shane Brennan, and the money that Zoe raised as part of an ill-conceived plan for the two to be together. Daniel accompanies the headstrong Zoe on her search for Shane, who’s a member of an ethnic group known as the Travellers (whom many British people disdain), while continuing to provide support for Lorna. As the tension and suspense gradually build, Stacey takes a somewhat circuitous route to the satisfactory resolution of both disappearances. (July)