File Under--Missing

A flip, irreverent sense of humor and a keen eye for social ills characterize Yorkshire tax inspector and amateur sleuth Leah Hunter, who was introduced in File Under: Deceased. When her elderly friend Dora asks her to look into young Andy Howe's disappearance, Leah agrees--the police don't seem interested and she's on vacation with nothing better to do than paint her flat. The young man was last seen at a party at the home of his employer, music producer Dean Wilde. When Wilde stonewalls Leah's questions, she looks for someone who can help her locate and talk to other party guests. The contact she finds is Neil Anderson, an old classmate from grade school, who is now a handsome car dealer with tenuous ties to Wilde. Neil becomes competition for Leah's police detective lover, Dave Nicholls, whose overprotectiveness infuriates the independent tax inspector. Balancing her love life and her investigation, savvy Leah uncovers extortion and an IRA arms connection in a brisk, gritty story. (Aug.)