Zack Webster has a problem: he suspects that his boss—the hypnotic and flirtatious chiropractor, Dr. Sycort—is a killer. While working for Sycort, Zack discovers that the practice’s regular customers are going missing, despite being owed more treatments, prompting him to dabble in a little amateur sleuthing. Sure enough, Zack stumbles onto secrets galore: suspicious receipts record purchases like chloroform and steel cages and a missing patient’s purse is buried in Sycort’s office. But when he hatches a brilliant plan to out Sycort—with the help of sultry office assistant, Jolene, who promises to keep the doc occupied for one evening—it quickly becomes evident that Zack’s in over his head.

Potter, as in his prior novel Farsighted, weaves strands of the supernatural with common, everyday occurrences of a very real world. When Zack finds himself caught in a deadly trap, he turns to memories of high school witchcraft to escape, though those efforts prove futile; they do lead to a slew of new discoveries however, upending Zack’s suspicions and creating an entirely shocking outcome. Potter unfolds that journey in straightforward, conversational tones that feel biographical at times, evoking a distinctive character who is trying his best to navigate dangerous mysteries in 1980s Florida.

Those old-fashioned times and sensibilities of Zack and co. give this novel a vintage pulp feel, and Potter’s sequence-of-events writing style makes the story easy to follow, though readers may find it lacking in dramatic tension. Potter takes his fair share of detours from the central plot, diving into stories from Zack’s past and an excess of background information on the main players’ motives, but by the story’s end readers will be sufficiently convinced that Zack has a hidden knack for solving the stickiest of mysteries. Those seeking a slim-spined comfort read that will remind them of the eagerness of youth will enjoy slipping into this sweet thriller.

Takeaway: Spirited mystery that weaves past and present intrigue.

Comparable Titles: Kate Racculia’s Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, Mark Mills’s The Savage Garden.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B
Marketing copy: A-