True Crime Time! I’ve been a fan of M. William Phelps for years – among TC writers, there are many that just crank out crap, there are one-hit wonders who put out a good ONE, and then there are the (very) few who consistently give us a well-researched, carefully written story. M. William Phelps is one of the few. His true crime books include Murder in the Heartland, Kill For Me, and Beautifully Cruel – with rare exception, I’ve enjoyed them all. So I was pleased to read and review Mr. Phelps’ latest, Where Monsters Hide, in return for my honest review (thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley).
One of the things that made this one stand out is that female serial killers/psychopaths are unusual. In addition, a good person-goes-missing-cops-get-obsessed-for-YEARS story is always interesting. The good person in this book is Chris Regan, a single father of adult children who lives in Michigan but is just about to leave for Asheville, NC, to start a new job. He and his namesake oldest son are planning the move together, and they are talking and texting constantly, nailing down all the details. One of the last things Chris needs to do is take a drug test for the new job he has accepted in Asheville. Chris the younger gets worried when he can’t reach his father. Chris Senior had an ex- named Terri O’Donnell, and because they had remained friends and kept in contact after the breakup, she also became worried when he disappeared, and she filed a missing person report.
The local police department is tiny, and another aspect of this story that stands out is the local police chief, Laura Frizzo. As she looks into the case, she learns that Chris had been having an affair with a married co-worker named Kelly Cochran, so her investigation naturally goes toward Kelly’s husband Jason. A search warrant on the Cochran’s house prompts them to up and move out of state unexpectedly. Then Jason turns up dead and the coroner rules it a homicide, so Laura starts looking at Kelly as a suspect. And OMG what happens to the body is – well, unique.
As the investigation goes on, Laura works closely with Detective Jeremy Ogden, and they REALLY get along! I found the treatment the two of them received from other members of law enforcement in Michigan pretty disgusting. At first, I thought it was just pointed at Laura, because of her gender – but Jeremy was a target as well.
The final unique aspect of this book is that Kelly is a SMART woman, a Purdue graduate and psychology major. She plays “catch me if you can” with Laura and Jeremy, and even though they just KNOW she is guilty, it takes a long time in real life for the unraveling of the story. Fortunately, the book moves right along, and will definitely be appreciated by true crime aficionados. I give stars within genres, and for true crime, this one is 5-star.