No Forwarding Address

Private investigator Meg Lacey, the middle-aged, divorced mother of two who debuted in Bowers's Ladies' Night , returns in fine form in this well-plotted mystery set in Vancouver. Vicky Fischer hires Meg to find her sister, Sherry, a young woman with serious mental problems who has left her home and husband, taking her four-year-old son with her. Meg easily picks up Sherry's trail, as some of the concerned parties--particularly Sherry's prosperous and caring husband, Glen--are cooperative. When Meg finds Sherry and son hiding in a rooming house in an unsavory part of the city, the missing woman is terrified of being discovered. Is it paranoia or is someone truly out to do her harm? When Sherry is found the next day, beaten to death, Meg knows that her investigation has only begun. A host of intriguing and voluble characters are tracked down and interviewed, including a man who was rooming in the same house as Sherry, has a record for assault and is having an affair with Vicky. When someone Meg suspects of having shadowed her is murdered, she realizes that she faces grave danger. If Meg lacks the distinctive and forceful personality of V. I. Warshawski or Kinsey Millhone, she is a shrewd investigator and doesn't hesitate to use all her assets, from her brains to her pry bar. Hers is a tightly knit story, rich in atmosphere and full of surprises. (Oct.)