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Book Review of The Night Bell: A Novel

The Night Bell: A Novel
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The indomitable Hazel Micallef is called to the scene where bones from long ago have been found. It is a new housing development on land that was once owned by an orphanage for boys. The bones are those of boys and Helen soon learns that there had to be foul play involved.

It turns out to be a fair amount of work to determine what boys were living there in the 1950s, when the bodies were buried, and which of those went missing. For this task Helen calls upon her subordinate, James Wingate. Wingate was seriously injured in a previous case and is still recovering. He can't always find the right words and he tires easily. Yet he is determined and committed and pushes against the forces who want him to stay home and in bed.

More's the pity, Helen is warned off the case until the RCMP have finished with their work. The mounties had arrived and have cordoned off the area, but won't reveal exactly what they are working on. Of course Hazel still finds ways to work the case quietly. Which, in the end, is a very good thing.

The case blows open some underhanded dealings among persons who should not be connected with the housing development, shaking up the little town. More important to Hazel, it reveals the role her long-dead brother had in a disappearance long ago.

I'll be staying tuned to Hazel's moves as long as Wolfe (Redhill) continues to write them.