Deadhead

Deadhead strolls in like a film noir movie and turns the corner to a modern crime thriller with all the trimmings - some familiar and some not. Sam Parker, the main character, has a disturbing past in forensics and although the author does not provide the exact detail, Parker is haunted by nightmares and would rather leave the past in the past.

When a former neighbor and road musician appears back in town and mysteriously disappears, Parker is intrigued, but wants nothing to do with his former occupation or to help with the search. A series of events then occur that push him into joining into the investigation and leads him on a dangerous course to discover the truth.

Parker is aided by his wife, Morgan, who is a trained psychologist and whose insight into the criminal mind provides necessary profiling Sam needs to narrow down a list of suspects. Parker is also aided by the enigmatic Doc Biggs - formerly with naval intelligence but acts as a freelance computer hacker.

The characters are diverse, well developed and in some cases quirky. The rapport between Sam and Biggs is both intellectual and amusing and Morgan holds her own being both strong and sensitive.

The book uses the coastal scene and life as a backdrop, and contains strong references to blues music from an insider's point of view.