QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD

In Porter’s supernatural mystery, a private investigator and his team of psychically gifted associates attempt to solve a murder.

Martin Rodak is a former deputy district attorney turned insurance investigator working in Denver, Colorado. Though Martin himself claims no psychic abilities, he’s assembled a team of colorful and uniquely talented allies: Melissa, though technically blind, can re-create her visions of people and places through illustrations; Mark talks to animals; Cindy can pinpoint events using maps; and Fielding, an eccentric older man who only reads various versions of Robinson Crusoe, communicates with ghosts. When Martin’s company is hired to trace some items stolen from Vicar and Blake Auctions and Appraisals, Fielding quickly discovers that one of the perpetrators, a former Vicar and Blake employee named Joseph Vargas, has been murdered. The information Fielding receives is disjointed, and he isn’t immediately able to say who killed Vargas or why. But police attention begins to fall on Fielding as it becomes apparent that he may have more knowledge of the crime than he’s letting on (his unpredictable behavior, coupled with his criminal record, does him no favors). When Fielding is forced into a medical facility for a mental health evaluation, Rodak, with the help of the rest of his team, must solve the murder and find the stolen objects to clear Fielding’s name. While perhaps a few too many characters are introduced, they’re all engaging, distinctive, and well crafted. The author does more than merely present a mystery—he delves into the dynamics between characters in a thought-provoking and compelling way. Porter’s strong prose will help keep readers engaged through both the fast-paced, action-packed scenes and the nuanced discussions of characters’ struggles with their gifts: “In truth, for most of them it makes life more complicated. Makes them angry, paranoid, or alone.… Sweet old Cindy…hasn’t been out of her apartment in seventeen years. Doesn’t want to leave her maps. Doesn’t want to miss anything.”

An immersive mystery full of inventive characters and concepts.