UNDER COLD STONE

A chief constable’s son is wanted for murder in the new procedural from Delany (A Cold White Sun, 2013, etc.).

Paul Keller, chief constable of Trafalgar, British Columbia, and his lover, Lucky Smith, a widow who is devoted to environmental causes, have come to vacation in Banff, a town known around the world for its beauty. When Lucky has a run-in with two extremely rude young men, she has no idea that one of them is Paul’s estranged son, Matt. At first, Matt snubs his father, but he’s quick to call him with the news that he’s returned home from his bartending job to find one of his roommates dead. Unfortunately, he takes off before Paul and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrive, thereby promoting himself to the most likely suspect. Lucky’s daughter, Molly, a Trafalgar constable, quickly heads for Banff to support her mother and her boss, the latter of whom seems to be aging before her eyes. Matt’s mother, who blames Paul for all of Matt’s problems, also arrives on the scene, accompanied by her wealthy boyfriend. Despite the resistance of the local RCMP sergeant, Molly—who keeps her identity as a cop well hidden—starts asking questions of Matt’s roommates and his girlfriend, Tracey. Meanwhile, back in Trafalgar, Sgt. John Winters has his hands full with activists protesting the building of a large resort, including some outsiders with radical backgrounds. While the RCMP searches for the missing Matt, Molly digs up information that leads to a surprising suspect.

The glorious scenery of British Columbia upstages Delany’s regular cast in this plausible tale.