Blindfolded

I'd seen or heard something of Walcott's work a couple years ago and decided to try out one of his stories. I found this one online and ordered it, but when I saw the cover I thought it was a romantic comedy. Now, I should know better than to trust a cover on an old book without reading the beginning, but I didn't take the time. Last week I picked it up again and found a fast-paced thriller!

Here's a quick summary: Giles Dudley arrives in California to take a new job and lodge with his distant cousin and best friend, Henry Wilton, who also happens to be his double. He soon finds his friend is much changed and worried about some unknown evil influence that he's unable to explain without breaking a confidence—but he wants Giles to help him save a child from this syndicate of a threat. However, there's no time to learn much before Henry is brutally murdered! A local policeman thinks Giles is Henry and then warns him to keep Henry's identity until the crime is solved. Can Giles “Henry” stay alive long enough to find out who and where the child is, and stop the bad guys in time?

This one definitely kept me guessing. Bad guys everywhere, eccentric Mother Borton, likable and plucky Detective Corson, beautiful Luella Knapp, forceful Dodderidge Knapp, and so on...each character is colorful. What little romance is there is definitely not the main focus of the story. There's, however, a fair bit of profanity, so be aware of that.