Lake
of the Dead: A Winston Radhauser Mystery #5. Susan Clayton-Goldner. Tirgearr
Publishing. January 2019. 291 pp.; ASIN #: B07L5Z6BMB.
When
the story begins, the reader thinks it’s going to be a crime associated with transgender
truth and persecution. Rashima (formerly
called Roy) is having tremendous problems as she’s believed she’s always been a
girl despite what her anatomy indicates. Her parents and school peers’ scorn
and even persecute her. However, she’s
got a steeliness that has grown since she became friends with Parker Collins
and with whom she’s fallen in love. Parker
has been writing stories since he was a child.
When the story opens, Rashima is frantic because she hasn’t heard from
him. He’s gone up to a cabin his Writing
Professor lent him to use far away from telephones, TVs, computers, etc.
because she believes he is the most gifted student she has ever had and is sure
someday he will win a major award for his novel.
Finally,
after his missing status has been reported, Officer Winston Radhauser gets
involved. He is also an unusual person
who accepts people for who they are and focuses more of his empathy than judgment
on people like Rashima and Parker.
However, his involvement is on a purely investigative mode and he’s able
to maintain an objectivity despite his feelings one way or another. He’s about to be extremely surprised about
this investigation’s results.
At
first, he’s surprised by the professor, Maggie Hollingsworth’s strong feelings
about Parker. When Radhauser gets a
brief glimpse of Parker’s writing in his notebooks he’s kept since he was a
child, Radhauser quickly knows this is a sensitive soul who has suffered on his
own, something Maggie couldn’t help but miss.
This then is the search for Parker and after finding Parker’s body the
search for his killer.
Everyone
in this story has an “agenda,” stuff to deal with that can be life-changing in
the best or worst ways, including Parker and Rashima’s families. However, sometimes the reader tries to play
private eye and couldn’t be farther from the truth with this scenario.
The
plot of this novel is really about character and this is where Susan Clayton-Goldner
clearly excels. The reader continues to
want to know more and more about each character, not to supply a “who did it”
answer, but just for the descriptions of the simplicity and complexity of each
character. This is the magic that fuses all of parts, right up to the last
riveting page. Very nicely done, Ms.
Clayton-Goldner – recommended great read of this mystery, the fifth in her
series!
