Throwback: Dream Chasers by Barbara Fradkin

The sixth installment of the eleven book Inspector Green Mystery series, my first of Barbara Fradkin’s, I can’t figure out why I waited so long. The characters were well developed, relatable and with just enough mystery to maintain intrigue and want them all to survive and be innocent.

In true Canadian spirit, the story is set in Ottawa with a focus on hockey and their young prospects, this murder mystery is twisted and dark yet complex. Inspector Green was taking a vacation with his wife and young child, trusting his teenager to maintain the house, when he learned that a young girl, the same age as his daughter, was reported missing – and his own daughter wasn’t answering her phone.

The pull of the badge surpassed the pull of his weekend away and he returned to the city. When he returned to his empty house, only the police station would provide a distraction as he waited for his daughter to return his calls. Soon after, the body of the missing girl was found, which prompted an array of questions. With a curious social worker asking to speak with the grieving classmates, the promising career of a young NHL hopeful on the line, and a young drug dealer on the run, the added touch of media interference kept my heart racing throughout. Trying to guess the next twist and solve the case before the detectives proved near impossible, despite my gut telling me I had the answers.

As a retired psychologist, Fradkin masterfully tackles the layers of angst of a teenager, a grown man trying to reach his estranged daughter, and the police force who desperately want the suspect to be innocent so he can be drafted to their favourite team. I am still left wondering where the missing head is and if the force would let the family see the body without its head. While I did find some gaps, I also loved that the book left it open for book seven. I will be on the lookout for the rest of the books in the series for answers.

Barbara Fradkin is a retired psychologist who is fascinated with why people turn bad. She is the author of the Amanda Doucette series and the critically acclaimed Inspector Green novels. She lives in Ottawa.

Publisher: Dundurn Press (September 1, 2007)
Paperback 8″ x 5″ | 304 pages
ISBN: 9781894917582

I am a struggling artist, a challenging and challenged mother who always thinks she is failing, an emerging freelance writer and reporter, an author with my name on several books crossing genres and always hoping to find more readers who enjoy them.

I am also a successful artist, a wonderful and thriving mother of one, a reacher towards both people and dreams despite all of the turned backs and obstacles in my way. I am a thriving freelance writer and reporter, an author loved by enough readers to make it worthwhile and a discombobulated conundrum who loves to hear new music, tell new tales and meet new authors. And I’m doing something I always dreamed of doing – reviewing books to support others as well as myself and my family.