Book review: This mystery unfolds in the posh enclave of Saugatuck, Mich.

"Red Shadows at Saugatuck" by Randy Overbeck (The Wild Rose Press, 398 pages, $22.99)

"Red Shadows at Saugatuck" by Randy Overbeck (The Wild Rose Press, 398 pages, $22.99)

Randy Overbeck’s latest Haunted Shores mystery novel, his fourth in the series, is set in Saugatuck, Mich. The author has made a smooth transition from his long-time occupation as a school administrator in our region to this new career as a creator of fictional thrillers.

His protagonist in these books, a teacher and coach named Darrell Henshaw, has a unique ability: he can see ghosts. As this series has progressed Henshaw’s gift (or curse) has gotten him into some very interesting situations in a variety of locales. Each book moves us further along a timeline as well.

As this story opens Henshaw is happily married to Erin. In the previous book they were in Florida on their honeymoon. It is now some years after that-they are parents of a young son named Leo. Five years old, Leo inherited his dad’s ability to see ghosts that only the two of them seem to be able to see.

This new development of a ghost busting duo provides the author with plenty of tempting opportunities to entertain his readers as the innocent Leo isn’t really understanding yet some people he sees are not physically present. As the family is driving from Maryland to Michigan to attend a family event they stop at a convenience store.

Leo notices a poster on the wall with the caption “MISSING.” Leo wonders what the rest of the poster says about a young Indigenous woman? Overbeck employs underlying themes in these books that propel action. In this one the theme is our epidemic of missing Native American women. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Indigenous women and girls have vanished across the US and Canada-this plague of disappearances has gone woefully underreported.

Henshaw explains to his son that the poster was put there to draw attention to this missing young woman. It isn’t easy for him to talk to Leo about this. It is a disturbing subject. Leo has the innocence of youth. He responds by suggesting to his dad they need to go find her if she is missing, right?

We realize that is exactly where we are headed with this story, to try to find out what happened to this missing woman. As the family arrives in Saugatuck it doesn’t take long for Leo to spot the missing woman. But sadly, it is her ghost that Leo has seen. His dad can see her too. This is the start of their pursuit of her ghost.

Henshaw is all about righting wrongs and while he’s not enthusiastic about tracking her ghost it is impossible for him to refrain from doing so with young Leo leading the charge. Along the way when Henshaw mentions the missing woman to some local residents, even those who knew her, they are dismissive about her fate. This really motivates Henshaw to solve her murder.

Vick Mickunas of Yellow Springs interviews authors every Saturday at 7 a.m. and on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO-FM (91.3). For more information, visit www.wyso.org/programs/book-nook. Contact him at vick@vickmickunas.com.

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