Death of a Hired Man (A Mel Pickett Mystery)

"Death of a Hired Man" is a good mystery. Not outstanding, but certainly quite enjoyable.The body of Norbert Thompson was found in the log cabin of retired officer Mel Pickett. Not only was the small community shaken by the murder, but naturally Pickett found himself involved -- especially when he realized who the murderer might be.The more I read, the more I liked Norbert -- who never appears in the book ALIVE. Between the purity of the writing, the decent characters, and the intriguing sub plot involving Pickett's son, I'm interested in reading the sequel (if one is written) as well as the other series by Eric Wright. The author caught my attention, kept it throughout the book, and left me wanting a little more. I believe that that means that "Death of a Hired Man" is a success.

Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Willie is stunned when a woman reports a murder at a cabin on Larch River. Wilkie believes his father's old law enforcement peer, retired cop Mel Pickett, is the victim as this is his home. However, when Wilkie arrives at the scene, he finds a different corpse. The witness, Elisa Pullock, explains that the deceased is Norbert Thompson, renting the cabin from the recently married Mel. Elisa is borrowing a nearby trailer from Mel to work on a historical book about the area.Upon hearing the news of the homicide of his border, the sixty-six-year-old Mel, as well as his wife Charlotte, is stunned. While the cops wonder if this might be part of the recent break-ins that turned ugly, Mel wonders if he was the target. Also under consideration by the law remains the fact that that Norbert left his brother's home to live at this cabin after a major spat with his sibling. Not wanting to wait, Mel goes into his police mode seeking the identity of a killer.DEATH OF A HIRED MAN is a fabulous police procedural with private investigative elements. The story line is well crafted because author Eric Wright makes his cast seem genuine without slowing down the tale. Fans of a good crime novel starring newly married senior citizens struggling with difficult decisions such as wills and multiple homes will find this book as a sure thing.Harriet Klausner