Tangled June

Dave Garrett #6

by Neil Albert

Dave Garrett's assistant, Lisa, wants more to do, wants to begin gathering the experience that she needs to obtain her own investigator's license - wants, simply, a case of her own. And knowing that Dave is never going to give her the go-ahead, she's picked the investigation and begun the work. It all seemed simple, birth records were public documents and there didn't appear to be anything mysterious involved, even the fire in the hospital that destroyed the records wasn't an unheard-of event. So why was it that every road was a dead end? Why couldn't she find anything, anywhere, that led to some solid facts about her subject's early years? Who was Dave Garrett?

Genres: Mystery

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

I am a trial lawyer, mystery writer, and retired foxhunter living in the Amish Country near Philadelphia. I started writing a series of mysteries in the 1990s and now I am returning to finish the series. I was very lucky to be published then, in the days when there were still independent bookstores and there was a chance to meet your fans face to face. As exciting as it was to be published, the best part was the fans, editors and other writers I met. Writing is far more collegial than people suspect.
I stopped the series in 1996 partly because I had run out of good ideas (I had plenty of bad ones) and because, at age 47, I had started riding horses for the first time in my life. Six months after my first ride I was fox hunting. It was very time intensive and the books went on the back burner. (And no, we do not kill the fox.) After twenty years and putting down my last hunt horse, I find myself with time on my hands and a need for a distraction.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a departure from the typical Dave Garret mystery because the focus of the investigation is Dave's own past and childhood. Is he part of the family that raised him? With no real birth certificate, and no adoption records either, Dave and his assistant Lisa embark on an quest to find his roots that will take them to California, and a discovery of past family secrets. As they delve into these family secrets, long hidden, Dave will discover a part of his own roots,
in this page turning novel that reveals another aspect of this character. I enjoyed the book! (I actually read the Kindle edition, but could not get the information to calculate from my stats!)

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this was a 4.5 rounded up to a 5, in part, due to the subject. In this installment of the series, Dave's investigation is into his own roots. Is what he has always been told about his relationship to his family the truth? As Dave and his assistant delve into Dave's background, he uncovers some unsettling information. It touches on the secrecy that often surrounded families in the past, when it was thought it was best to keep all kinds of things hidden. It is a fast paced read, with plot twists throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed it! (actually read the kindle edition, but could not get the info to transfer into the stats)

[Ray Flynt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading Neil Albert's mystery series back in the early 90's. Each book had the name of a month associated with the title. I had enjoyed the stories, but knew that there hadn't been any more books. One day I spotted a copy of APPOINTEMENT IN MAY on my shelves and did a search to see if any more books had been added to the series. I found TANGLED JUNE, but it was published in 1997 and there are no more.

Dave Garrett is the protagonist, a de-frocked lawyer who now has a private detective business. In an earlier story Dave developed a relationship with Lisa - an interesting character, since she is transsexual. In TANGLED JUNE Lisa is working for Dave, learning the ropes to someday become a private detective, although it is clear that the embers between them are still burning.

The story involves the search for Dave Garrett's birth parents. While the plot is interesting, it is the interplay between Dave and Lisa that is the most interesting aspect of this book.

I recommend it, as well as the other books in Neil Albert's series. Wish we could see July, August, etc.