MYSTERY REVIEW

THE DROWNED MAN
By David Whellams
ECW Press

Chief Inspector Peter Cammon is having a tough time with retirement. He’s still trying to come to terms with his brother’s death while his wife copes with siblings who are near the end of their struggles with cancer. When Scotland Yard calls, the opportunity to get back into action is a no-brainer.

He’s asked to go to Montreal to escort home the body of a murdered colleague. It should be straightforward enough but his cop instincts take over and Cammon finds himself all to quickly deeply enmeshed in the search for a mysterious woman who may hold the key to the police officer’s death.

And then there’s the matter of the theft of three letters, one of them reportedly signed by John Wilkes Booth, that shed new light on the political situation north of the 49 during the US Civil War. The British Ambassador in Montreal wants those letters. So does a Separatist professor and any number of private collectors. Were they the reason for the murder of the Scotland Yard detective?

As Cammon travels to Washington in search of the missing woman, the body count starts building. Soon the Surete de Quebec, the FBI and local police forces are chasing the same prey. The stakes are higher than even Cammon realizes. And the game players will stop at nothing to kill the girl and claim the prize.

Whellams’ second Peter Cammon crime novel borders on thriller with several threads and sub-plots crisscrossing throughout the story. There’s history, travel, police procedural and suspense, something to catch the attention of every crime reader. His detective is a well-balanced hero, with a devotion to home and family along with the drive to do what's needed in the pursuit of justice. David Whellams lives in Ottawa. Maybe he'll bring Peter Cammon here for a visit at some point.