WHEN THE SAX SINGS

A detective reluctantly comes out of retirement to help a university professor who’s been framed for multiple crimes.

It’s been six months since retired detective Art Bransome’s wife passed away, leaving him desperate and lonely. He’s on the verge of considering an “eternal retirement” by ending his own life when he gets a call from reporter Jason Powers. Bransome and Powers crossed paths during his final case—a grisly affair involving Powers’ murderous ex-girlfriend—and Bransome would rather never see him again. But Powers needs Bransome’s help and can sense that the ex-detective needs something to pull him back from the brink. Bransome soon finds himself at Powers’ house in Santa Rosa, California, trading barbs with Powers’ brother, Donnie, a computer hacker who uses his skills only for the sake of comedy and practical jokes. There’s also Powers’ good friend, Professor Reginald “Reg” Carlton. After years of running a successful chemistry research lab at the local university, Reg has been suspended and is waiting for criminal charges after an avalanche of accusations has derailed his life and implicated him in a local meth ring. Someone has framed Reg for using university resources to buy the supplies and cook the meth on school property, Breaking Bad–style, all while fabricating his real data. To top it off, one of his postdoc students is pregnant, claiming that Reg is the father. Reg maintains his innocence on all fronts, and as Bransome starts to poke around, he discovers one of Reg’s students is missing and that the university administrators shunning Reg might have much more to protect than just the school’s reputation. Powers and Bransome set off interviewing graduate students and professors, uncovering a web of lies built to protect someone who is clearly willing to kill to keep their secrets safe. As Bransome starts to hear the familiar, enticing music of a case about to break wide open, he realizes that he may have just found his path back into the world of the living.

Fans of violent, shocking thrillers might be disappointed by Satterlie’s relatively low-key mystery centering on the misappropriation of university funding. Instead of thrilling action, he treats readers to a cat-and-mouse game (more suited to the novel’s intellectual setting) that plays out over tense interviews as Satterlie develops his dramatic tension through confrontations between Bransome and all the lab’s different players rather than outright violence. Memorable characters and brisk dialogue also go a long way in keeping the pace humming. Even the supporting cast members, like Ph.D. student Roxy Shaw, stand out via their witty banter. But the novel really shines when depicting the evolving dynamics among Powers, Donnie, and Bransome. What starts out as a nearly slapstick routine slowly turns into a real, believable rapport. Satterlie also showcases his excellent comedic timing through Bransome’s dismissive thoughts, which slowly soften as the former cop begins to care again. Bransome is certainly an old-school figure with an unsurprising arc, but as the different pieces of evidence start clicking into place, Satterlie uses him to deliver a classic, satisfying puzzle that fans of the genre will appreciate.

Entertaining characters and smart dialogue enliven a rather straightforward mystery.