Among the Departed

A Constable Molly Smith Mystery

By: Vicki Delany

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie

Fifteen years ago, a young girl by the name of Moonlight Smith went to the house of her best friend, Nicky Nowak, for a sleepover. Moonlight joined the family for breakfast the following morning and was then picked up by her mother. Shortly after, Mr. Nowak went for a walk. He was never seen again.

Autumn has arrived on the mountains above Trafalgar, British Columbia, Canada, and the promise of winter is in the air. Constable Molly Smith is sitting by the fireplace with Adam Tocek of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police when Tocek and his dog, Norman, are called to a wilderness camping ground to join the search for a little boy who sneaked away from his family looking for bears. The child is found, dirty, terrified, and weeping but unharmed. Then the inquisitive Norman digs up something else: human bones.

The ID isn’t positive, but it is enough to have Sergeant John Winters of the Trafalgar City Police pulling old boxes from the basement to reopen the Brian Nowak investigation. He finds a family shattered beyond recognition by Brian’s disappearance. Mrs. Nowak is an empty shell of a woman, dressed in pajamas, never leaving the house. Her son, Kyle, haunts the streets of Trafalgar at night and spends his days creating beautiful but highly troubling art. Nicky Nowak lives in Vancouver and has grown up to be gorgeous, charming, elegant. Yet behind that façade lies a woman whose heart has closed so tightly against human relationships that she comes to Trafalgar trailing in her wake a terrifying threat to another innocent family.

As the investigation into the life and disappearance of Brian Nowak grows, old secrets are brought to light and new ones struggle to remain hidden.

Among the Departed is more than a mystery novel: it is also a story of love—love new and old, long concealed, life affirming, and fatal.

A Poisoned Pen Press Mystery

Investigate another case with Constable Molly Smith.©2011 Vicki Delany (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“[Delany’s] exceptional ability to create characters, both realistic and sometimes creepy, makes this another terrific addition to her outstanding body of work.” (Library Journal)

still lovable molly

Would you consider the audio edition of Among the Departed to be better than the print version?

yes

What other book might you compare Among the Departed to and why?

the other constable molly smith stories--because they are unique as to their location, and story lines

What does Carrington MacDuffie bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I was not overly impressed with her narration of this story, I've heard better but it wasn't all monotone, and I've heard worse

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

there are no safe family secrets

Any additional comments?

it was interesting to see how molly and her mom's life has changed after her father's death, and having molly in love does not take away from the story.

the life of the family the story is about, and how the "father/husband" of this family comapres to molly and her family and how they're dealing with the death of their father/husband, and even though the mystery that surrounds them, was kind of predictable, I still liked the way we were led to the ending by Vicki,

Also in a series, I always like to learn the different direction the other main "cast of characters" take as the story progresses.

The Best of the Series

A missing boy on Holiday is the impetus for the Trafalgar B.C. police to search the woods where they locate the body of a man missing for fifteen years. It is particularly meaningful for Constable Molly Smith; back when she was 14 year old Moonlight Smith, she was one of the last people to see Brian Nowak alive. In the intervening years 15 years since Brian's disappearance his family has disintegrated. His wife is a practically a recluse; a shadow of herself. The son Kyle is an angry man incapable of forming human relationships, and still lives in the basement of his mother's house. Daughter Nikki; Moonlight's childhood friend ran away at sixteen and is now a prostitute in Vancouver.
The investigation into what happened to her father brings Nikki back and sets the Nowak family against each other as long buried truths rise from the ground with Brian's corpse.
Constable Smith's life is further complicated by her boyfriend Adam's desire for a more serious relationship with her and the fact that her boss, Chief Constable Brian Keller and her mother Lucky are being seen together all over Trafalgar.
A nice solid story well told and well narrated.

Another Good Book

So far I have really enjoyed each book I have listened to in this series. I love Molly and how she is growing and developing in each book. I can't wait to see what happens next.