Title: Shadows in the Fog
Author: Greg Messel
Publisher: Sunbreaks Publishing
Pages: 353
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Format: Paperback/Kindle
Purchase at AMAZON
About the Book
The story begins on a stormy morning in February of 1959. The front page of the morning paper is dominated by news of the plane crash which killed rock ’n roll stars Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens.
Private Eye Sam Slater is hired to perform what he thinks is a routine two-day job as a favor for a friend. However, it all goes terribly wrong when a young San Francisco policeman is gunned down while sitting in a parked car with Sam.
The murder sets off a chain of events which will pull Sam and his wife and partner, Amelia, into a dangerous web of intrigue in the dark, shadowy alleys and back rooms of San Francisco’s Chinatown.
In the winter of 1959, Amelia resigns as a TWA stewardess and is now Sam’s full time partner in the private eye business.
Sam and Amelia inadvertently come in conflict with the San Francisco mob boss after helping a crusading newspaper reporter who is working to expose corruption in Chinatown. Now a mysterious dark car follows the Slaters every where they go. Sam and Amelia discover a hidden world of corrupt cops, gambling parlors, brothels and human trafficking exists right under their noses.
At the same time, a rising California politician hires Sam and Amelia to find his daughter who disappeared without a trace three years earlier. The search is prompted by the sudden appearance of a letter from the woman, who was presumed dead.
As Sam and Amelia pursue these cases, they discover that all the clues lead them back to Chinatown. The Slaters want to avoid taking on the San Francisco crime lords head-on. However, when Amelia is kidnapped in an alley during the Chinese New Year’s celebration, Sam plunges himself into danger desperately searching Chinatown to find her before it’s too late.
The reader will be drawn into fast moving events which culminate in a harrowing conclusion as Sam Slater races against the clock on a foggy night in Chinatown.
“Shadows In The Fog” is the fifth book in the the award winning Sam Slater Mysteries Series but is a stand-alone thriller in the tradition of great whodunits.
My Review
I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.
Shadows in the Fog is the fifth book in the Sam Slater mysteries. I read book #4, The Fog City Strangler, so I had an idea what I was in for but I sure didn’t expect things to start out with a bang like they did.
Sam’s wife, Amelia, finally resigns as a stewardess and she becomes his full time partner as a private eye. They are both thrilled to be together more than 3 days a week. She has always been involved in his cases but now she can officially be his partner.
Sam takes on a routine case as a favor to a friend but it soon turns into a murder case. He and Amelia also take on another case to search for a politician’s missing daughter. These two cases cause a lot of suspense and there is nonstop action.
Greg Messel is good at incorporating historical information into his stories. For example, at the beginning of the book, Sam has just gotten done working on a movie set starring Lana Turner, Sandra Dee, and Anthony Quinn. There are also black and white pictures from 1959 in between some of the chapters.
If you like a good private eye mystery with a lot of action and suspense, I definitely recommend Shadows in the Fog.
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About the Author
Greg Messel has spent most of his adult life interested in writing, including a career in the newspaper business. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist and has contributed articles to various magazines. Greg retired from the corporate world and now lives in South Jordan, Utah with his wife of over 40 years, Carol Madsen Messel. They have three adult children who are married and have 11 grandchildren.
Greg has written eight novels. His latest is “Shadows In The Fog” which is the fifth in a series of mysteries set in 1959 San Francisco. “Fog City Strangler,” “San Francisco Secrets,” “Deadly Plunge” are sequels to the first book in the series “Last of the Seals.” His other three novels are “Sunbreaks,” “Expiation” and “The Illusion of Certainty.”
Greg is currently working on his ninth novel–the sixth in the mystery series–“Cable Car Mystery”–which will be published in late 2015.
For More Information
- Visit Greg Messel’s website.
- Connect with Greg on Facebook and Twitter.
- Find out more about Greg at Goodreads.
- More books by Greg Messel.
- Contact Greg.
Giveaway:
Greg Messel is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
Terms & Conditions:
- By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
- One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter.
- This giveaway begins December 1 and ends February 13.
- Winner will be contacted via email on Monday, February 1i6.
- Winner has 48 hours to reply.
Good luck everyone!
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