Hidden Graves

Jack Fredrickson

Feb 2017 · The Dek Elstrom Mysteries Book 6 · Severn House/ORIM

About this ebook

“An investigator with a seductive one-two punch—a delectably smart mouth and a delightfully nimble brain.” —William Kent Krueger
 
“Chicago private investigator Dek Elstrom is having a hard time making ends meet, what with the recent collapse of his marriage, the scandal that wrecked his career, and the lack of an actual private investigator’s license. When a woman hires Dek to confirm the whereabouts of three men, Dek’s not exactly in a position to turn down the work, despite his client’s deeply suspicious behavior (Why, for example, does she show up for their meeting wearing an obvious disguise?). When Dek discovers that one of the men is dead and the other two seem to have gone missing, not to mention the fact that the dead man may have taken on a new identity a couple of decades ago, he realizes he’s stumbled onto the kind of case that could resurrect his career―if he can beat a (trumped-up) murder charge, that is. The writing here is splendid, echoing genre veteran Loren D. Estleman, and Dek Elstrom is the kind of guy we genuinely like spending time with.” —Booklist 

Ratings and reviews

3.5 Stars Private Investigator Dek Elstrom is being framed for a murder he didn't commit. An older woman, wearing a wig and disgusing herself, paid him to find 3 men. One was recently killed in a bomb blast, one has been living off the grid, and the 3rd man has now disappeared. All 3 men were living under alias names. While Dek is traveling and discovering the men who don't exist, the older lady disappears ... and winds up in the back of Dek's jeep. Knowing that he's being set up, the body is then dumped into the river. A sheriff's deputy wants him arrested. Someone else wants him dead. And then there's the lady in a wheelchair who hasn't spoken to anyone in years ... what does she want? All Dek wants is to stay alive ...and out of prison. And it all seems to be connected to crooked politics in Cook County, Illinois where the dead vote on who lives and who dies ... and who gets elected. This was a pretty good read. The only real complaint I have is that there was so much redundancy. Everytime Dek spoke to someone, he repeated the whole story.... again and again . Dek's character is a mixture of humor and slanted eyes. Humor when nothing else seems to work ..and besides, he is a smart aleck. The slanted eyes when he was serious and done playing around. He has recently begun dating his ex-wife and I enjoyed their banter. She's a very rich woman, but you'd never know it. There is also the female investigative journalist that wants a story ... but then she gets too close. The story premise was good and the ending left no doubt of who, what, and why. Quite a surprise! Many thanks to the author / Severn House / and Netgalley for the digital copy of HIDDEN GRAVES. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

About the author

Jack Fredrickson lives with his wife, Susan, west of Chicago. He is the author of four Dek Elstrom PI mysteries, two of which, A Safe Place for the Dying and Hunting Sweetie Rose, have been nominated for Shamus Awards. His third Shamus nomination is for his short story, The Ace I, which has been nominated for the Best PI Short Story of 2013.