The Whisper Place

Ex-cop Max Summerlin and psychic Jonah Kendrick try to track down a missing woman in their solid latest outing from Mejia (following A World of Hurt). After cracking a handful of cases together, Max and Jonah have established Celina Investigations in Iowa City with hopes of maintaining a steady client stream. One afternoon, Charlie Ashlock walks through the door. Charlie’s girlfriend, Kate, has vanished, and he claims to be respecting her wishes by not seeking help from the police. Confused by Charlie’s actions but enticed by the massive sum he offers up front, Max agrees to look into the matter. It’s a particularly challenging assignment for Jonah—whose psychic gifts are draining and unreliable in the best of circumstances—because Charlie doesn’t even know Kate’s last name. Interspliced with the main investigation are chapters from the perspective of a woman on the run from a danger that Max and Jonah might be walking right into. Mejia continues to sketch Max and Jonah’s friendship with attunement to the sarcastic, beer-drinking rhythms of male bonding, and her plotting is as twisty as ever. This series continues to impress. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Susanna Lea Assoc. (Sept.)