The Day He Left

The Day He Left is the second book in the Violent Crime Investigations Team series by American author, Frederick Weisel. When dedicated middle school teacher, Paul Behrens fails to turn up for work, it’s totally out of character for this man who loves his job. His wife Annie does not hesitate to call the Santa Rosa Police Department. Lieutenant Eddie Mahler decides his Violent Crimes Investigations Team will dedicate the next twenty-four hours to finding him. But as they take a closer look at the man’s life, and those close to him, it seems that Paul had plenty more than the usual worries about money and job: an unfaithful wife with a drinking problem; a sixteen-year-old son dealing drugs; a thirteen-year-old daughter being bullied; accusations made by a student; and concern for the welfare of another student. He drove off to an appointment of which Annie knew nothing. And when the team does find him, the mystery is far from solved. As one team member does double shifts helping out Narcotics, the team’s analyst, Eden Somers is distracted from the case by a development in the case that ultimately caused her to resign from the FBI: the Highway 60 murders. An FBI security breach has brought her to the attention of the main suspect, recently arrested for the third time. Eden has sixty Bankers Boxes of case files to review if the man is not to be released again. This is not a mystery where the reader has a chance of predicting the killer or motive: most information is only revealed as the police learn it, but the detective work the team carries out is smart and diligent. Weisel gives the characters the opportunity to philosophise about their lives during rare moments of downtime, with each adding depth. It’s refreshing to note that this cast mostly don’t put themselves in danger unnecessarily, but share information, working well as a team and backing each other up when it matters. The story is let down by a number of annoying continuity issues following on from the first book in the series. Setting aside the fact that the Violent Crimes Investigation Team takes on a missing-person case a mere three and a half hours after Paul Behrens has driven away from his home, retracing Paul’s steps after his departure, learning about his state of mind and his relationships: family, students, colleagues, all without any indication that a violent crime has occurred, this is an excellent police procedural. This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press