Customer Reviews

Among the Departed: A Constable Molly Smith Mystery (Constable Molly Smith Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Among the Departed is a fantastic mystery. I had never had the pleasure of reading Vicki Delany before reading Among the Departed, but definitely plan to read her previous books.
Among the Departed has wonderful characters, a terrific setting, and riveting plot. I'm happy to have a new author to add to my list of favorite authors. Among the Departed is not to be missed!

Once again, Delany hits the mark with Among The Departed, a mystery set in BC's stunning mountain region. More than just a mystery-writer, Delany has a keen insight into the often strained family ties that are the backdrop for her tales. Realistic characters, straight-forward story-telling and an old-style mystery are the hall-mark of Delany's work

You won't be disappointed -- this one should be on any mystery-lover's summer reading list!
Donna Carrick
author of The First Excellence

I was thrilled to be transported once again to the lovely Kootenay town of Trafalgar in beautiful British Columbia through another delightful story in the Smith and Winters series by Vicki Delany. With each book in the series, I become more attached to her wonderful characters. I had a hard time putting the story down as her plot kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next! Highly recommend this book as well as the entire series. Keep them coming Vicki, they are so enjoyable to read!

Constable Adam Tocek of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police received a call of a missing boy lost in the Canadian forest above Trafalgar, B.C. As the dog handler assigned to that area, he and his friend and comrade, Constable Molly Smith, along with his search dog Norman, head out to join in the search. Not only do they find the little boy in spite of a fierce rainstorm, they also find human remains.

Although investigators don't have quite enough evidence to identify the body, there was enough to reopen a fifteen-year-old missing person's case. One Sunday morning Brian Nowak headed on foot to the local grocery store for a pack of cigarettes. He was never seen again.

The cold case was assigned to Sergeant John Winters who brought in his boss, Paul Keller, a detective sergeant and lead investigator at the time of the disappearance. The two also enlisted the help of none other than Constable Smith. Known as Moonlight as a child, she was a friend of Nicky Nowalk and stayed overnight the night before Nowalk disappeared. She was the last person outside the family known to have seen Brian Nowalk alive.

This was an enjoyable mystery that moves smoothly between characters and scenes. Delany takes her time laying out the groundwork of the disappearance and the steps investigators take in an effort to solve the case.

As John Winters and Molly Smith dig into Nowalk's background, they find a shattered family that was never able to get itself back together after their loss. An unrelated case with ties to the family keeps the investigators busy. The unexpected ending brings a satisfying conclusion to an interesting read.

Trafalgar City Police Sergeant, John Winters, is faced with the case of his life and he's not allowed to investigate it. His beautiful, former super-model wife, Eliza, is accused of the murder of a sleazy photographer who knew a lot of secrets that she preferred stayed hidden. Constable Molly Smith, Winter's subordinate, is hindered in her investigations by a sadistic ex-con and her own, ailing, father. This is a cracker jack novel that kept me devouring the story until the fabulous surprise ending.

This is book five in the Constable Molly Smith series by Vicki Delany. However, this is the first one that I have read. I don't feel that I was lost or left out because I hadn't read the first books. This can definitely be read as a stand alone book. I will be going back and reading the prior books because I enjoyed this one so much.

Vicki Delany's characters are vibrant and alive. I could just picture Jamie defiantly stuffing his blanket in his sleeping bag and setting off on an adventure at the start of the story. And the imagery just kept getting better from there on out. I felt like I had a little movie playing in my head as I read this book.

The fact that this mystery was so close and personal to Molly's just made it that much more emotional. When Molly was young, she went by her given name of Moonlight Smith. She and her best friend, Nicky, were always spending time at each other's houses. In fact, Moonlight spent the night at Nicky's house the night before Nicky's father disappeared.

Now many years later, the case is reopened when his bones are found.

I found this book difficult to put down.

In conjunction with the Wakela's World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

This is the fifth in Vicki Delany's Constable Molly Smith mystery series. Like the others, two of which I've read, the setting for the story is the fictitious town of Trafalgar in the beautiful, and real, Kootenay Mountain region of British Columbia. Constable Molly Smith is a member of the local police force and works alongside her immediate boss, Sergeant John Winters.

Among the Departed centers on a cold case which is suddenly resurrected when human bones, found at a mountain campground, are tentatively identified as those belonging to Brian Nowak, a local man who vanished 15 years earlier. The ID is sufficient to re-open the case and, in so doing, the police are instrumental in re-uniting the members of the fractured Nowak family, in Trafalgar. We meet daughter Nicky, who as a sixteen-year-old, left town for Vancouver, and to this point has never returned; a very troubled son, Kyle, an artist and one of the town's loners; and finally Mrs. Nowak who simply became a recluse.

As it turns out, Constable Smith, as a girl of thirteen, was present at the Nowak's home on the morning of Brian's disappearance; Nicky had been her best friend and the two girls had a sleepover at the Nowak's home the night before. Smith and Sergeant Winters are key members of the investigation team and as the probe moves forward, Smith is reminded of that morning.

As in her previous books, Delany covers the central story well and at the same time introduces numerous sub-plots and twists that keep things moving at a good pace. There are connections and crossovers between Molly Smith and a variety of other characters, most of who have been introduced in the earlier mysteries, although it is certainly not necessary to have read any of them to enjoy this latest.

Among the Departed, like the other books I've read in Delany's series, was thoroughly fun and enjoyable: a good, quick read.

by Janet Caplan
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

In 1996 in Trafalgar, British Columbia, Brian Nowak vanished without a trace. No one knew what happened to Brian who seemed to have no enemies. He left behind an uncaring spouse, an unreliable son, and a precocious daughter who was the apple of his life; anyone who knew him knew he would never leave his darling Nicky behind especially with her mother.

Fifteen years after Brian disappeared, the remains of a human are accidently found. The townsfolk assume the deceased is Brian. Nicky, who was an eighth grader when her dad vanished, was never the same as she has gotten into all sorts of trouble involving drugs and prostitution since. Her childhood best friend Constable Molly Smith leads the investigation into the murder of Brian hoping this brings closure to a disturbed Nicky.

The fifth Constable Molly Smith police investigation is an engaging Canadian village whodunit. The key to this tale and its predecessors (see Valley of the Lost and Negative Image) is the strong support cast as Molly obtains the usual assistance whether she wants it or not from her boyfriend RCMP Sergeant, his dog, and her mom; and the lack of cooperation from the horde of locals including the victim's daughter who is no longer an innocent. Among the Departed is a terrific mystery with a great realistic finish.

Harriet Klausner

It amazes me that some readers still don't know Vicki Delany's books, but I think that this latest entry in the Molly Smith series may change that.
Solid characters, fine plotting and a writing style that defies the too-easy categorizations of cozy or police procedural. A very good read.

This is the second book in this series I read and I really enjoyed it. I particularly like the character of Molly Smith, a young woman trying to be a good police officer. Her mother and family are interesting also. Bones are discovered in the wilderness that might belong to a man who went missing fifteen years ago. Molly becomes involved in the case on a personal level as she was best friends with the dead man's daughter when they were teenagers. What happened to the man's family in the years since is as important to the book as the solving of the mystery.