Jackson Flint is a Private Investigator dealing with the downturn for his services during the Covid pandemic. Despite trying to never take domestic cases, he finds himself hired by Alan and Suzanne to investigate the death of Alan’s brother, Booney, and prove he was given Covid on purpose by his wife Jandy. The motive given for this is so that Jandy could get her hands on the inheritance that Booney had just received from his mother, who had also recently passed away from Covid as well. The more that Jackson looks into the case, the more he comes to dislike it. Finding out what really happened is not going to be so simple.

This is a tidy little short mystery acting as an intro to the series and the characters. The mystery itself is a neat twist on the Covid pandemic while still playing with the same themes and human drives that appear in most crime mysteries. The characters are listed up front and then sketched out quickly highlighting their main features and giving a taste of the people they are. The local area also comes in for the same treatment, with a quick overview of the town, Yellow Springs, showing the main areas that are likely to occur within the series. The writing is excellent switching neatly between hard-boiled and cozy mystery as the scenes demand it, managing tension in some parts but also relating well to the characters in others. As it is set during the Covid lockdown, it cleverly plays with the current situation making it very relatable to the here and now and uses it to enhance the story instead of just being there as a historical backdrop that is likely to date it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable short read and certainly has me looking towards the main novels, which I hope will continue the fine writing. The book does come with a preview of the first on the series, which sets up an intriguing situation for our lead character.

If you are looking for a new P.I. mystery story to read, this is certainly worth a read.