Keel returns to work early after the birth of his second child because his department is swamped with unsolved cases. He is given a missing person case already nine days old which he hopes is just an employee dispute. But it turns out to be a case of the missing person looking for a family member who disappeared two years earlier. He decides to look into the cold case, even though it’s out of his jurisdiction, because he thinks some stones were left unturned in the original investigation. But the possibilities are endless, especially when a key witness is found murdered in the man’s front yard. That complicates the missing person case because it’s now linked to a major crime. The detectives assigned to both cases follow slim leads under the demanding pressures of new management, without expectation of success. For Keel, now a senior investigator, he must be an example of balance between wisdom and folly, optimism and despair. (Author’s note: Due for publication in January 2025)
Author’s Afterword:
About the Cover:
Meteor Crater, just east of Flagstaff, Arizona is where the Apollo astronauts trained for their mission to the moon.