Ensconced-M. E. May

Ensconced

M. E. May

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, Feb 16, 2014, $14.95

ISBN: 9781494461911

Teenage brothers Tommy and Bobby Sturgen went fishing on Eagle Creek Reservoir when the latter’s special fly became entangled.  Ignoring his older sibling’s admonitions, Bobby jumped into the water to free it because this was the last one his late grandfather gave him.  When Bobby failed to surface, Tommy jumped in and rescued him.  Both saw the fly entangled with a car.  They call the Sheriff’s Department who send Fire Department divers to the reservoir.  The submerged vehicle contains the remains of Wendy Matherson who vanished without a trace a decade ago.

Missing Persons’ Sergeant Benjamin Jacobs and Detective Tyrone Mayhew, whose wife just gave birth to their fourth child (and their first daughter), work the cold case.  This was Tyrone’s first investigation in which he and his partner looked at the husband Reid but found no evidence of foul play.  The three sons reacted differently to their mom’s disappearance.  The oldest mid-twenties Tanner attends Ohio State’s pharmacy graduate program; the middle child twentyish Ryan has an aerospace degree and is an Air Force officer; the youngest teenage Jared has emotional issues while failing at everything.  After talking with the four males and others, the detectives believe Jared may have suppressed memories of what happened.  However, someone wants the case to remain frozen so threaten to harm Ben and Tyrone’s loved ones.

The third Circle City police procedural (see Perfidy and Inconspicuous) is a terse suspense as the villain targets civilian family members to force the cops and others off the investigation.  Fast-paced from start to finish, the subgenre audience will enjoy Ensconced (superb ironic title) even though we identify the villain before the detectives do.

Harriet Klausner