Last Song Sung

The captivating third mystery (following Dead Air) in Poulsen’s series featuring Mike Cobb, an ex-cop turned private investigator, and Adam Cullen, a freelance journalist, begins when a young woman named Monica Brill asks Cobb to find her grandmother, who was kidnapped in Calgary, Alberta, in 1965. At first hesitant to take on such a cold case, Cobb becomes intrigued with the mystery of how Monica’s grandmother, Ellie Foster, an aspiring folksinger, was forced into a car in the alley behind the folk coffee club where she was billed with Joni Anderson (later known as Joni Mitchell). But 51 years later, the club has long since closed; possible witnesses are, for the most part, dead or no longer lucid; and clues are scarce except for a CD someone put in Monica’s car. She is certain it is a recording of Ellie. Aided by Cullen’s music savvy, Cobb and Cullen immerse themselves in the ’60s music scene and find an unexpected political connection to Ellie’s disappearance. This tense, suspenseful story has plenty of humor and offers vivid glimpses into Canadian music history. (June)