Book Review: Among the Departed

By Sandy Amazeen May 23, 2011, 2:04 GMT

  Fifteen years ago a young girl by the name of Moonlight Smith went to her best friend Nicky Nowak\'s house for a sleepover. Moonlight joined the family for breakfast the following morning and was then picked up by her mother. Shortly after, Mr. Nowak went for a walk.   He was never seen again.   Autumn has arrived on the mountains above Trafalgar, B.C., and the ...more

Moonlight Smith, better known as Molly is a Trafalgar, British Columbia constable. Fifteen years ago Brian, the father of her best friend Nicky Nowak, disappeared without a trace while the rest of the family was attending church. As Molly and her boyfriend Adam Tocek of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are enjoying an evening together he gets a missing persons call from a local campground. Molly and Adam along with Norman, a specially trained search and rescue dog, not only locate the missing child but find also find human remains.

After the bones are positively identified as Mr. Nowak, Molly begins investigating the cold case in hopes of giving the surviving family closure. Nicky, who drifted into drugs and prostitution, now lives in Vancouver and no one really knows what she does to earn a living there. Her mother is a recluse, never leaving the house and brother Kyle is trying to become an artist but his paintings are too disturbing to appeal to the mainstream. Between unwanted help from her mom and Adam and getting no assistance from the Nowak family or locals, Molly finds her investigation a challenge but she won’t rest until the murder case is solved, even if it means bringing some uncomfortable secrets to the light of day.

Fifth of the Constable Molly Smith series, this delivers a warm, enjoyable read.
Strong secondary characters, lovable pooches, and multiple subplots keep this delightful cozy moving along at a nice pace. Dog lovers especially will enjoy the large role Norman and another dog play in the story.