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"Terrific urban noir"

Russian expatriate Katerina Sterling hires the Midnight Detective Agency to find her missing husband, financial investor Anthony. His mom Victoria, owner of the private sleuth company, assigns the search to her son part-time investigator Jason Wilder. The relatively easy job turns ugly when Anthony pulls out a gun on Jason, who disarms the man. The River City police arrive almost immediately and quickly handcuff Jason until he is able to clear things up.

Anthony, insisting someone wants to kill him, is accused of murder until he too is found dead. Jason makes inquiries into the deaths thinking in terms of the Russian connection or the wealthy Sterling link as best bets. As Jason checks into the ties to the deceased, he is attracted to Anthony's sister Janice and starts thinking with his wrong head. Thank goodness Mommy Dearest would never let any harm come to her boy as she would not want to think she wasted nine hours in labor, but will Queen Victoria be able to get Anthony to look at the gig a bit differently.

Readers will enjoy this urban Noir starring a host of delightful characters. The relationships that Jason has fostered including the one with his dynamic mother are off beat, quirky and it is fun to observe the give and take. In many ways, Victoria steals the show with her cynical love for her son. The case is well written and clever, but it is the cast that explains why Mike Siverling won the St. Martin's 2002 Best First Private Eye Mystery contest.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted May 31, 2004

Private investigator Jason Wilder has the toughest boss in River City: It's his mother. She and her husband were legendary police detectives when Jason was growing up. Wild Bill Wilder has since died, and Mom is running the detective agency they had founded with a loving but definitely iron hand.

Working under Mom (also known by her staff as "Queen Victoria" and "Her Highness") is adventurous, no denying that. Jason's present assignment, to locate a missing businessman, leads to some unexpected surprises. He locates the man in a dreary motel, with orders to return him to his worried wife. Instead, the man shoots at him. Before he can recover from the attempt, he is surrounded by police, who punch him, handcuff him, and inform him that his subject is wanted for homicide. From there the case expands, plunging Jason into some twisted bypaths. Why are the members of the suspect's family (including his enchanting sister) fighting tooth and nail over a dilapidated movie house the sister is restoring? Why was the dead man's body found just outside it? Is there something hidden there--and what? With Jason doing the footwork and Mom supplying the know-how, they get dangerously close, and Mom is going to have to take a hand herself.