The Case of the Lonely Accountant (The Finder Mysteries) by Simon MasonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Three and a half stars.
One day, at the height of the financial crisis in 2008, Don Bayliss walked out of a meeting in the office and was never seen again, a pile of his clothes and possessions was found near Poole Harbour and the assumption was that he had committed suicide. Eight years later his widow, a local councillor and wealthy in her own right, finds Dwight Fricker's business card amongst her husband's things. Mr Fricker is a well-known local businessman with several illegal activities who is currently in solitary confinement in prison after attacking two guards - he is known to be psychotically violent. The local police re-open the missing persons file and call in 'the Finder'.
The Finder discovers Don to be a man of contradictions, a typical boring accountant who also lied to a neighbour unnecessarily. A kind and caring boss who opened doors for women and was generally respectful, but who sexually harassed a young woman in the office. A scrupulously honest employee who embezzled money from the company. Someone who presented as content with his life who was found weeping in quiet desperation by a colleague.
I enjoyed this, but reading it immediately after the first book in the series I felt it was too similar in the premise (not wanting to spoil the ending). Also, as I feared, the Finder's quirk is that he just happens to be reading a novel which sheds some light/has some bearing on the case he is working on.
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.
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