Cemetery Lake by Paul Cleave

"Fast paced and well written . . . highly recommended."

Theodore Tate is a private detective and a former cop. He is at the cemetery to witness the exhumation of a body. The deceased’s daughter believes he was murdered. While there, Tate notices something strange in the lake. Upon further inspection, the black mass is a jacket attached to a body. More dumped bodies of women are found. What do the women have in common and how do they tie in with the death of a bank manager who’s the body in the coffin? So sets into motion a case of multiple missing persons, hidden bank accounts, years of blackmail, and cardinal sins.

Tate wades through the town’s dirty laundry and finds a common thread. When his main suspects also die, Tate is left with one person who knows his shattered past. The death of his daughter, the irreversible damage to his wife, and his fall from grace with the police department haunt him. The killer is close and aiming at Tate. Tate may not be a cop, but he stills lives its code to serve and protect. He investigates and questions suspects. The police are on his trail, threatening him with arrest, but also trust his instincts.

The story takes the reader on a ride with a broken hero. The resolution of the case is a surprise with a unique twist on the good are the bad and easily hide in plain sight. Cleave passes out clues and his hero is the only one brave enough to follow them. Tate is the featured character in other Cleave books. Fast paced and well written, Cemetery Lake, is highly recommended.

Reviewer: K. T. Sullivan