Cold but Not Forgotten ISBN: 9781509226504 Wild Rose Press copyright and written by RJ Waters.
The book opens with an excerpt where Lieutenant Carlson the protagonist and story teller, informs the reader that he, and his two buddies, Gary Horton and Joseph Malone are the 3 who conduct criminal investigations for all of Elko County, a section of Nevada the size of Maryland have gone to the range for their required shooting requirement. They arrive and Native Indian Joseph checking the sky for weather sees two vultures circling. He, followed by the others, runs up the berm and discover a body lying about seventy-five yards away. It belongs to Diane Morrissey, the wife of a local Dentist. It appears that she “died today because her cell phone failed.” She had been crawling toward the area of help and had succumbed just shortly before their arrival. She was covered in blood but there were no discernable injuries. From this grisly introduction the reader is led into, and through, a rather thoroughly convoluted and complicated plot. Diane, enormously well liked, was married to a man who unfortunately constantly was attracted to other women and additionally had an active on-going affair with his office manager. Numerous other actions by the man also pointed strongly toward his guilt as he was moving his practice to Las Vegas. However, numerous additional characters gradually become involved in the expanding mystery. There is a physician who specializes in dispensing supplements especially for marathon devotees. A lonely, elderly, somewhat recently widowed neighbor whom Diane befriends; her friend/rival marathoner, wife of another dentist who has partnered with Diane’s husband in buying out, and moving to, the La Vegas practice; plus a little known live-in friend of the Dentist’s office manager. Other characters offer their own interesting bits, especially Joseph, Carlson’s investigating officer who is a Native American Indian with tribal Shamanism blood and an owl that provides him with insights into cases in which he is involved. He, in turn, introduces Carlson to one of the tribe’s elders which introduces a sub-plot. Another sub-plot sets up discovery of missing facts that offer data for the main mystery and are a fascinating twist of their own. Also included are allusions to an earlier case of Carlson’s in which he had been involved in another position in another state.
Discussion: The author has given the reader an interestingly involved mystery with credible action and an array of activities that routinely could be included in the overall work days of a police officer in the position depicted. And, it specifically describes such activity being performed by one of these individuals who portrays the best qualities of such an officer and very nicely emphasizes the tremendous strain imposed upon such individuals’ loving wives. Thus, one has a story of multiple crime investigations that includes, as so often is needed, a bit of luck, the usual homicidal, often psychologically disturbed characters’ but additionally some ‘nice’ people not that frequently found in police investigative tales.
5* Recommended, well-written mystery for readers who enjoy a less jaded police tale.