THE GILDED SANCTUM

Investigator-for-hire and former FBI agent Ryan Walker is hired to track down a mob boss’s missing daughter in Veverka’s novel.

Walker locates banker Edward Collins for his client, Mafioso Lorenzo Arcuri—thus marking the man for death. A few month later, the PI is summoned to find Arcuri’s daughter, Amanda Bryson, who’s gone missing from the illustrious Washington Academy in Tennessee.As Walker begins his search, his old FBI colleague, Mark Lewis, warns him that the Academy, also known as the gilded sanctum, is involved in all manner of crime. The PI secretly investigates the school while looking into Amanda’s disappearance with the Academy’s security chief, Joaquin Castillo. He later gets close to Meredith Thomas, Amanda’s English teacher, and through her, he learns more about Castillo and some secret, incriminating video footage. As the FBI plans a raid on the Academy, Walker heads into the school’s depths, both literally and figuratively; there, he finds the answers he seeks, but his investigation also leads to shocking violence. Toward the novel’s conclusion, the investigator finds his past deeds catching up with him. Portions of the novel flash back to Walker’s work with the FBI and his previous mistakes, effectively creating a dual timeline that gradually sheds light on the main character’s past and the tense circumstances of his present. Veverka’s prose is often structured as a series of deductions, emphasizing the protagonist’s keen eye for detective work. At times, there are moments of trite dialogue (such as “This time it’s personal”), but that doesn’t diminish the novel’s strengths: Memorable characters, a fresh take on the manhunt narrative, and stylish moments that will engage readers with each new page.

A richly plotted and often exhilarating crime tale.