The Associate

By Victoria Goldman https://vgoldmanbooks.com/ @VictoriaGoldma2

Published by Three Crowns Publishing http://www.threecrownspublishing.com/ @3CPublishingUK

325 pages ISBN 9781739695439 

Publication date 25 July 2023

The Associate is book two in the Shanna Regan Mysteries series.

The author sent me an electronic copy in exchange for a fair review.

The cover

A sinister looking basement in an old building, a staple of the horror genre but quite apt here.

From the blurb

When an architect vanishes in East London, her concerned fiancé asks journalist Shanna Regan to find her. The missing woman has been leading an interfaith Jewish-Muslim charity project that’s become the target of malicious damage and racist threats.

After Shanna witnesses a teenage girl fall to her death, she’s convinced the architect’s disappearance is also linked to a local youth outreach project. And then another woman is reported missing.

Amid rising local tensions, danger appears to be lurking around every corner. Even the safest sanctuaries seem to be hiding the darkest secrets. As Shanna uncovers a tangled web of lies, she puts her own life on the line. Will she find the missing architect before it’s too late?

My thoughts

The old maxim ‘stick to what you are good at’ is usually sound advice, one that Shanna Regan was going to abide by, but then life gets in the way. Shanna wants to succeed as a freelance journalist. When a strange request is made of her, to find architect Louisa Phillips the fiancé of Jack Harris she becomes conflicted. Louisa has been missing for a week and Jack is becoming concerned. Investigative journalism involves research and digging for clues, helpful skills but surely searching for a missing person calls for a private investigator or even the police. Jack claims to have reported Louisa missing to the police but Shanna has her doubts, she thinks Jack is being evasive. Against her better judgement she agrees to help him, but only because there could be a bigger story in the background.

Jack and Louisa are heavily involved in an interfaith charity which is based at an old synagogue that is being renovated. Situated in a much deprived area of London, one that is blighted by violent crime, the prospect of Jews and Muslims working together on joint projects is appealing and newsworthy. Community harmony and keeping the youth of the neighbourhood away from knife crime are laudable aims and if Shanna can bring the story to a wider audience, it will benefit everyone. Not everyone takes this view she discovers, there are objections to the flat on the top floor being converted for Ukrainian refuges and there is vandalism and graffiti at the project. Shanna must tread a careful path lest prejudices become inflamed.

The setting of the heart of the story, the old synagogue, is a brilliant one and used to its fullest. There is a connection with smuggling in the past, with secret rooms and cupboards much like the ‘priest holes’ in parts of the building. Add bored youths, a rumour of hidden riches and you have a bit of a treasure hunt in an old and creepy property.

Shanna is a woman at crossroads in life, both professionally and emotionally. Her work colleague says she’s running away from commitments, and this is good observation. She could settle down to a steady job at News Quest’s office, but she hankers for more, the freedom of being a freelance journalist though is unsure if she can make it work. Then there is Mark, the friend whose house she is currently living in whilst he is off travelling. A romantic relationship will surely develop if only their paths align. Very much a conflicted woman but one who is very determined and astute when she can get a clear mind.

The plot is very much one of searching, mainly trying to find out what happened to Louisa, but also Shanna’s quest to uncover more from her family past. One path is logical, one of ordered steps, the other is more leftfield. With a character like Shanna, we know that she will pursue it to the end regardless of the consequences. There is an intensity here that drags the reader along and Shanna has that knack of getting into difficult situations without quite getting into mortal danger.

Faith plays a part in the background of the story. Firstly, there is the interfaith aspect, one that most right-minded people would support, after all they along with Christianity have the same Abrahamic stem. Naturally there are objections from some of the more hardline or devout. More importantly there is an examination of how in a secular country to still have faith but to adapt it to the environment and the modern world. How frictions can arise amongst family and friends when someone becomes more devout or relaxes their religious restrictions, often being a counter reaction to their upbringing.  

The storyline moves along at a nice pace, not too hurried, with some nice distractions along the way that avoids any flagging of interest. Anyone who has heard scratching noises from their attic will identify with Shanna discomfort and the secret customer is a clever way to examine the localities within the search.

The Associate is a gripping missing persons mystery with an engaging lead character.

The Associate and book one in the series The Redeemer can be purchased via the Author’s linktr.ee

The author

I wanted to write crime fiction from a young age and have always been an avid reader. I’m a freelance journalist specialising in health, and also edit and proofread books (fiction and nonfiction) for UK publishers. I’m a book, stationery and crochet addict. I live in Hertfordshire and am married with two sons.

If you would like to keep up with my news, you can follow me on social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram). You can also become a member of my Readers’ Club – I only send out my newsletter when I have news to share, so won’t bombard you with emails.

Source: Amazon profile