WHERE IS SAM

In this debut thriller, a woman searching for her missing husband discovers that the case is connected to organized crime.

Three months ago, real estate agent Sam Carson disappeared without a trace. Emily, his wife of 10 years, starts her own investigation after the police put the case on the back burner. On Sam’s desk, she finds a receipt that the police overlooked; it’s from an upscale restaurant, dated the night before Sam vanished, and attached to a card with the name and number of local crime boss Joey Pataglia. She tells the cops, who advise her to stay away from anything having to do with the dangerous mobster and his crowd. Ignoring the police’s advice, Emily hires private investigator David Kimbro, who impresses Emily with his professionalism, gentle demeanor—and his good looks. They soon learn that several of Sam’s maternal uncles and their sons belong to a crime syndicate known as the Leone family. Pataglia is connected to a rival family that wants to muscle in on the Leones’ drug-trafficking business, and Sam’s disappearance could be linked to his resemblance to his criminal cousin Carmen Leone. This novel’s mystery plot will keep readers turning pages. There are plenty of violent scenes, as well, including one involving a hairpin thrust into an eye socket. However, the book also contains several distracting errors, including typos and head-scratcher sentences, such as “He heard all the conversations as a young boy at the family Sunday gatherings while having an Italian home cooked meal when he was a young boy.” The narrative perspective is inconsistent, as well; it’s mainly told from a third-person point of view, but sometimes it switches to first-person. That said, the book’s ending will subvert audience expectations.

An intriguing mystery marred by flawed prose.