This One Day: A Max Tyger Novel

This cumbersome first in a PI series from Delaney, the pseudonym of John R. Corrigan (Out of Bounds and four other Jack Austin golf mysteries), introduces Max Tyger, a former cop who now operates a one-man detective agency in Darlington, Conn., and has been diagnosed with stage-two esophageal cancer. Cop Helen Baxter, with whom Tyger has recently broken up, brings him a highly sensitive case—17-year-old Tommy Lewis is missing. According to his prep school art teacher, Tommy left two weeks ago, but his wealthy parents insist the boy is fine and is staying at an artist’s retreat in Texas. Despite his illness and weakened condition from chemo and radiation treatments, Tyger fights through the endless lies and tangled relationships of the adults to locate and help a confused and vulnerable teen. Tyger’s detailed struggles with weight loss, eating, even drinking liquids, become secondary to rescuing Tommy from those who are supposed to care for him the most in this bleak mystery. (Dec.)