DARKNESS FALLS

Fledgling sleuths in southwest England probe the disappearance of a dogged investigative journalist.

Thirteen years after Joanna Duncan was pursued and strangled by an attacker who leaves no evidence behind, her frustrated mother, Bev Ellis, contacts criminology professor–turned-detective Kate Marshall for help in learning the truth about her daughter. An ambitious reporter and a newlywed, Joanna would never have run away; she must have been a victim of foul play, but the police have virtually no leads. The complexity of the case both daunts and intrigues Kate. After checking her workload and consulting her impulsive young sidekick, Tristan Harper, she agrees to investigate. Bryndza offers clean, quiet prose and a plot that methodically unmasks every aspect of the mystery. Kate and Tristan question Joanna’s husband, Fred, and examine the private life of local MP Noah Huntley, whom Joanna had written an exposé about. Both men have alibis that turn out to be porous. As Kate and Tristan dig further, unearthing dark secrets, the investigation shifts to a search for David Lamb and Gabe Kemp, two young, handsome, missing men who might have been rent boys. Then the focus expands, alternating between Kate and Tristan’s investigation and a narrative involving David and Gabe that leads, after multiple twists, to Joanna Duncan and reveals the identity of her killer. Kate and Tristan have a breezy chemistry, but most of the novel’s character descriptions and dialogue feel well worn and formulaic. Where Bryndza excels is in plotting, crafting a solution supported piece by piece by methodical investigation.

Crisp detective fiction with the appeal of a just-the-facts true-crime program.