Rat Town Blues

In Kaufman’s mystery, a private security professional delves into potential blackmail and stumbles onto corruption in his Colorado town.

Officially, Mark “Slag” Ferguson is security-for-hire, working out of and living in a low-rent office in the town of Westbrook, Colorado; even if he wanted a private investigator’s license, there are “too many hoops” to jump through. His new client, Kelly Mason, believes a series of secretive, late-night calls to her husband Walter are threats—she has a “list of enemies” who may have something against Walter. That’s a great place to start, though Slag also looks into the possibility that Walter is having an affair. Or maybe those calls to the Masons’ home involve blackmail, as Walter has ties to a shady real estate deal. The sleuth’s busy work life includes another case (warning off a thug who’s abusing a local woman) and his steady Saturday night gig as a bartender. At least one of Slag’s cases has evidently put someone on edge, as Slag is soon the one under threat. Kaufman’s story, which kicks off a prospective series, features a grounded lead—he’s a former boxer who regularly spars at the community center, and his florist ex-wife cheated on him two years ago. Spirited engaging characters surround Slag, from his rugged best friend Bobby Billotte to “big girl” Sasha, a dog he’s cared for since finding her injured in an alley (as the result of someone intentionally harming her). The mystery unravels at an unhurried pace; the investigation is just another part of Slag’s everyday chaos (just outside his office/apartment is the town plaza, the site of ongoing demonstrations for a cause unknown to Slag). The author’s sharp narrative descriptions shine during the engrossing scenes of Slag meticulously surveilling people just like a credentialed private eye would do.

A tenacious investigator and superlative supporting cast elevate this quiet mystery.