Breadcrumbs and Blindsides

After having his driver's license suddenly and basically in the middle of the road suspended, private investigator Varg Veum witnesses a group of young people on a bus, one of whom later disappears. He finds himself drawn into the mysterious world of a small coastal village. As he investigates the disappearance, he uncovers a complex web of secrets, rivalries, and a possible connection to a previous death, all playing out against the backdrop of unethical large scale Salmon farming. Staalesen creates a detailed and visual experience of a small town where everyone has a secret. He places Veum's slowly coming to terms with his life and his age in a juxtaposition to his menial importance in a much larger criminal investigation. Very well written and pretty gripping. Unfortunately the reveal is impossible to predict as there are basically zero breadcrumbs. 4/5

The novel delves into a complex case that unfolds amidst the backdrop of the life partner of Rhebus' daughter being murdered. Rebus involves himself into the investigation involving a brutal attack on a close colleague, a mysterious hotel fire, and an unidentified body. As always Rankin retains the perfect balance between character development and plot development. The whodunnit is beautifully set up and the reveal highly unexpected. 4/5

Heidi Wood, encounters a young, seemingly homeless woman named Willow, with a small a baby. Moved to compassion, Heidi brings Willow and the infant into her home, despite objections from her family. As Heidi tries to help Willow get back on her feet, she and her husband (separately) start to uncover disturbing facts about the young woman's past; this while Heidi is also slowly losing touch with reality as she starts to confuse the baby for her own baby she lost some 12 years earlier. What starts as a simple act of kindness quickly turns into a dangerous situation filled with secrets and lies. The novel moves a tad too slowly and the overused theme of female mental issues provides the backdrop for most of the novel. A bit of an average read. 3/5

Ethan returns to his childhood home after decades. His peaceful return is disrupted when unsettling events begin to occur which events are linked to the disappearance of his best friend, Billy, which happened in the same house 30 years ago. As Ethan delves deeper into the past, he uncovers disturbing secrets about his neighborhood and the people in it, forcing him to confront the darkness that still lingers. Sager masterfully weaves an almost endless number of twists and turns into this fast paced whodunit, which culminates in an unfold, which has just the right amount of breadcrumbs in place to lead to the reveal. 4/5

Ruby’s mother, Deena disappeared when Ruby was only four years old and while Deena and Lucas were fighting an ugly custody battle. Now living with her controlling father, Lucas, and his enabling mother, Ruby remembers almost nothing about her mother and is not permitted to ask any questions about her. Nessa is however as from the outset convinced that Lucas was responsible for her sister's disappearance. The novel utilises the dual timelines (some 10 years removed) exceptionally and the first person accounts of Ruby and Nessa are richly written and seamlessly integrated. 5/5