“Private investigators – they’re just like us! Well, okay, that’s not entirely true. But what sets Steve Cassidy and, moreover, his waitress girlfriend Dawn, apart from other contemporary whodunit couples is their extremely relatable personalities. As the protagonists of this recent release by local author John Schlarbaum, the pair is immediately likeable. Seasoned, sarcastic, and confident in his abilities, the reader wants to jump into Cassidy’s shoes for this journey despite (or maybe because of) his checkered past as a cop. The reader quickly discovers that Dawn’s sleuthing skills give Steve the insight he needs as his latest case morphs into something much larger than he bargained for. And we like them together. What the authorities tried to present as a cut-and-dried murder is anything but, and with each puzzle piece Steve manages to fit into place, his investigation gets darker and stretches back further. This engrossing mystery will have you guessing until the very end.” – Amie Ronald-Morgan, Scene Magazine