E.W. Johnson’s EXPENDED (A Dr. Sean Nolan Mystery) is in many ways the story of a warm, friendly, and kindly man who, because of those virtues, has a massive circle of friends in different and useful places who are all willing to go well out of their way to help him track down a hunch. This being a mystery novel, of course his hunch turns out to be justified, and there’s enough sense and intelligence behind it to make it reasonably believable. However, the amount of work his friends are prepared to do, and the amount of career and legal risk they are prepared to take, on behalf of such a small initial hunch does strain credibility, at least until things start building and the criminal plot starts to unravel before our eyes. The villainous plot (or plots) is plausible enough and unfolds at a steady pace, keeping the reader’s interest and giving us the detective’s perspective as we begin to realize what specifically is going on – though there are still one or two surprises left at the end. Intelligent readers might be able to guess at the final revelation, though there’s enough red herrings within to maintain the surprise and suspense except for those truly paying attention.
The book sets a clear moral tone without being preachy, simply in the visible, almost tangible contrast between the warm, amiable main character and his loving relationships with family and friends, and the cold-hearted horror of the villains’ actions, not only reflected in their willingness to murder casually for utterly selfish reasons but in the use of traumatized and damaged individuals as cats’ paws to keep their own hands “clean” and safe from suspicion. It would have been very easy for the doctor to dismiss the quiet death of an elderly woman as old age, but the doctor we all want to believe in is the one whose concern for his patients leads him to follow even the finest threads of suspicion, risking his career and even his life to do so, to bring murderers to justice and prevent them from killing other innocents, and that’s part of what makes Dr. Nolan such an appealing character. The final twist in the novel only confirms the moral contrast between those who care for others and promote the good in society and those who only care about themselves and what they have to gain. All in all, it’s a pleasant and satisfying read that will appeal to those who enjoy watching justice prevail over truly compassionless villainy.
E.W. Johnson’s EXPENDED is an action-packed mystery with some sizable twists and turns that keep the suspense going until the very end.
~Catherine Langrehr for IndieReader