Mystery writer Sebastian Trapp, author of the popular 'Simon St. John'' detective series, stopped writing for a decade after a tragic incident in his life.
Two decades ago, on New Years Eve 1999, Trapp's wife Hope vanished from their San Francisco mansion, and their 14-year-old son Cole disappeared from a sleepover.
Sebastian was suspected of killing them both, and was investigated by the police and attacked in social media, but the cases went cold without resolution. Trapp went into isolation, communing only with his (then) 19-year-old daughter Madeline, who was a college coed at the time.
The years smoothed the angst, and Sebastian cranked out one last 'Simon St. John' novel ten years ago, and was remarried five years ago, to a beautiful woman named Diana....who had once been Hope Trapp's assistant.
Now Sebastian's kidneys are failing, and though he's getting dialysis several times a week, Trapp is given only three months to live. The mystery writer decides to wrap up his life with a mini-biography, and he hires New York City writer/mystery buff Nicky Hunter to pen the book. To do the job, Nicky moves into Trapp manse, and is set up in Cole's old bedroom, which encompasses the entire huge attic.
Cole's old domicile is rather eccentric, being half boy's room and half repository for family artifacts, including taxidermied 'Watsons' (Watson 1, Watson 2, and so on) - the family dogs over the years. The current Watson takes a shine to Nicky, and Nicky - who's a dog lover -likes Watson as well.
Nicky's modus operandi is to hang out with Trapp - at his home, at his club, and sightseeing around San Francisco - while he relates stories about his life.
Nicky also speaks to Trapp's family, friends, and acquaintances. This includes Trapp's daughter Madeline;
Trapp's happy-go-lucky nephew Freddy;
Trapp's widowed sister-in-law Simone;
and Trapp's former assistants, fellow club members, etc.
Like many suspense fans, Nicky has amateur sleuth DNA, and she hopes to solve the mystery of what happened to Hope and Cole. Nicky gets lucky when she finds Cole's dusty old diary hidden under a floorboard in his room.
The journal, as well as stories Nicky hears, reveal that Cole was an artsy kid who liked to do origami.....and NOT the sporty lad Sebastian wanted for a son. Trapp was determined to 'fix' Cole, Hope defended her son, and things in the family were tense.
Could this have led Sebastian to murder his wife and son?
As Nicky spends time with Trapp, strange things happen in the mansion. Red origami butterflies appear here and there; Madeline gets mysterious texts; and a thief riffles through Trapp's desk.
Then there's a suspicious death!!! Two San Francisco detectives investigate the incident, which renews interest in the old disappearances of Hope and Cole.
Nicky discovers that not everything is as it seems with the Trapps and their circle, and many people are keeping secrets. The book's climax takes place at San Francisco's 'Land's End', a coastal labyrinth made of stones, where the unexpected truth is revealed.
The book is suspenseful, but slow-moving, and readers who prefer lots of action might be frustrated. I liked the book though, and appreciated the step-by-step build-up and (what later turned out to be) subtle clues.
Recommended to fans of cunning mystery stories.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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