CLASSIC CALLS THE SHOTS

A call to investigate the theft of a 1935 Auburn speedster drops car detective Jack Colby into a difficult and painful case.

Because Jack’s classic-car restoration business is always on the edge of failure, he helps fill the coffers by investigating car thefts. This time he’s called in by the police and famous movie director Bill Wade, who’s filming Dark Harvest close to Jack’s home in Kent. The Auburn, Wade’s car, is featured in the movie, which takes place in the 1930s. Jack soon realizes that all is not well on the set. Wade’s wife, Angie, seems to be the core of the trouble. The director’s blockbuster success Running Tides ended in tragedy when its star, Wade’s lover Margot Croft, shot herself. Now that many of the same cast and crew are working on the new movie, Jack and the police have to wonder if there’s a connection when Angie is found shot dead. Sparks fly when Jack meets Louise Shaw, the star of Dark Harvest. They soon become lovers, allowing him access to inside information about the cast and crew. After Jack discovers the Auburn hidden under cover in a nearby parking garage, his local sources intimate that there may be a much larger scheme to steal classic cars. But is that the motive for murder, or does it all come down to what happened in the past?

Jack’s second case (Classic in the Barn, 2011) offers a thought-provoking look at the world of classic cars and moviemaking along with a swiftly paced mystery.