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Invisible Dead: A Wakeland Novel    by Sam Wiebe Amazon.com order for
Invisible Dead
by Sam Wiebe
Order:  USA  Can
Mobius, 2017 (2017)
Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Ex-cop Dave Wakeland is a very skilled PI whose lack of business sense is compensated for by his canny, much more worldly partner Jeff Chen, who'd 'spent a decade navigating the corporate security world.'

Their deal is that Wakeland pursues the cases that interest him, as long as he glad-hands when needed. Wakeland also lacks much sense of self preservation which is apparent all the way through Sam Wiebe's noir mystery Invisible Dead.

It's set in Vancouver, Canada. Wakeland says 'I don't know why this city sees fit to kill its women.' He has been hired by Gail Kirby, a very wealthy, dying woman. Her foster daughter, Chelsea Loam, disappeared over a decade earlier after living a questionable lifestyle on the streets. Gail wants answers before she dies.

Wakeland finds a connection to vicious biker gang leader Terry Rhodes, and pursues it stubbornly, despite the risk. He connects with Shay Nelson, a drug user and hustler who went to the same elementary school as he did. Shay offers to use her sources to get leads on Chelsea - is she using him?

Dave finds Chelsea's pimp through Shay and gets hold of her journal, which is when Rhodes and his gang come back into his life, and come close to ending it. And he does eventually find out who killed Chelsea, allowing someone who cared for her to exact revenge.

If you like your noir mysteries as dark as they come, then you'll enjoy Invisible Dead, which is extremely well written and takes you deep into Vancouver's dark side.

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