The small town of Trafalgar, BC, somewhere near Vancouver, is supposed to be idyllic, with all the friendliness and charm that such places are supposed to have. Then why do so many strange, and even terrible, things continue to happen there? There are even big-city problems like a drug culture, with heroin trafficking and large patches of marijuana growing all around.
At the heart of the plot of this latest chapter involving probationary constable Molly Smith and Sgt. John Winters is the death of a young woman of a drug overdose. Near her was a three-month-old baby, who is thereupon taken in by Molly's mother, Lucky. Who was the woman and where are the baby's relatives? Was the death just another drug deal gone wrong? Or is there more to the story?
Meanwhile, the customary themes of the first installment of the series: environmental issues, the closeness of the community, and Lucky's radical beliefs, permeate as background, as do the Canadian mountains and glaciers surrounding Trafalgar. The traditional mystery moves forward at a deliberate and well-measured pace. It is well-written, and recommended.
------
Theodore Feit