Edwin Steelside:

Searching Out the Devil

by Bradford Bennett

An old-school senior officer who misses the street action retires and opens his own private investigation office.

Edwin Steelside: Searching Out the Devil by Bradford Bennett is a collection of short stories featuring the former head of detectives turned private eye. This volume includes four intriguing and mysterious cases for the new PI to solve. 

Ed Steelside is an engaging protagonist for the series. Divorced after his job as the head of Vancouver PD’s Homicide Detectives Bureau kept him away from home and his wife too much, he’s considering getting back in the dating game to get to know Molly, a smart, fast-talking, and saucy waitress at his favorite coffee shop. He retired from the police department when, after climbing the ladder, he discovered that most of his time was spent on administrative tasks rather than solving crimes and pursuing justice for victims. Instead, he’s opened his own private investigation office, and his stellar reputation is starting to attract some big cases. 

Each story is a self-contained case, and Ed conducts a thorough investigation, following clues and his instincts. The police procedural style employed puts the reader alongside Ed every step of the way as he puzzles through the information he uncovers, leading to the final resolution. Suspects come and go as the clues either rule them out or put them on a fast track to arrest by his former colleagues, with whom he maintains a positive, mutually beneficial relationship. 

I recommend EDWIN STEELSIDE: SEARCHING OUT THE DEVIL to mystery readers who enjoy their police procedurals in bite-sized chunks. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tours.