“Shadow in the Sandpit” by Christine Noyes (Haley’s, 340 pages, $24.95)
“Shadow in the Sandpit” is only the second mystery novel Christine Noyes of Orange has produced. She crafts plot and characters like an old pro, however.
“Shadow” revolves around the efforts of FBI analyst Bradley Whitman to solve what he is convinced is a major crime involving an embezzling home-care agency. As he works through the agency’s financial records with his colleagues, developments in the case and in his life pile mystery upon mystery.
Bradley is a loner. Confined to a wheelchair, he is uncomfortable letting people other than his parents and childhood friends into his emotional and physical worlds. His isolation is challenged as he works on this case, however.
He is befriended by a dog named Rusty, who literally saves Bradley’s life in the first couple of pages of the book. When a murder occurs in the homeless community in the sandpit behind his house, Bradley gains another sidekick, a veteran named Zayt.
Like Bradley, Zayt likes to keep his own counsel. Nevertheless, as the two begin to work together they form a bond and cooperate to solve the murder.
Their efforts are complicated by the emergence of a third crime in their midst. Someone is trying to purchase Bradley’s home — and, it turns out, many of the homes in the neighborhood.
When Bradley refuses to sell his property, the agent returns with a threat from the would-be purchaser. Clearly, something nefarious is going on. Bradley, Zayt, the team at the FBI, and even Rusty the dog work to unravel the potential crimes confronting them.
Along the way, Bradley learns a few lessons about himself. He even gains a potential love interest.
Christine Noyes does a masterful job of introducing her plot points to minimize confusion and maximize fascination on the part of the reader. The book is focused and beautifully constructed.
Like his boss, his parents, and even Zayt, the reader wishes Bradley would feel less need to prove himself at every turn. Nevertheless, it’s hard not to feel affection for this brilliant young man.
Bradley and several of the other characters in this book were introduced in “A Picture of Pretense,” Noyes’s previous novel. There, a 12-year-old Bradley helped the FBI solve a shipboard crime, and the youngster decided on the spot that he wanted to work for that agency when he grew up.
“Shadow in the Sandpit” indicates that there will be more Bradley Whitman novels. I look forward to reading them. They promise clever plots, appealing characters and wonderful descriptions of food. Bradley, like Christine Noyes herself, is a remarkably talented cook.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning author and singer. Her next book will be “Pot Luck: Random Acts of Cooking.” Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.