Wayward Son by Steve Goble

We last left Ed Runyon in quasi-rural Ohio about an hour north of Columbus. He'd bailed on being an NYC detective because of some child abduction case that sent him into a drunken tailspin and headed back to his home state of Ohio. Became a detective in the fictitious Mifflin County and the equally fictitious Ambletown. 

His first real case is that of a raped/murdered girl by the local football star destined to enroll in The Ohio State University (points to Goble for capitalizing 'The.' Hey, it's part of the formal name . . . sez me, the OSU alum). Anyway, the town (and plenty of the cops) really haven't forgiven Ed for derailing the kid's career. Tough shit, pal. He killed a girl. This story begins shortly after, right as the pandemic is sneaking out of China.

So Ed quits the sheriff's office and decides to start his own PI agency specializing in runaways. Not getting as much business as he'd get in Columbus or Cleveland, but ditching the big city to live in a lakeside trailer is his preference. 

Gets a hit from his website. 15yo Jimmy Zachman is missing. His parents are desperate to find him and are sure the local cops are yanking their chain - just another teenage runaway.  Dad is a religious zealot with special hatred for the LGBTQ+ community (that's a clue to the story for you armchair detectives). Dad's even got a blog that says so in no uncertain terms. Mom is deeply religious but not to the same extent. 

Jimmy's main interest is chess. In a local chess club at his school. One member of the club tells Runyon Jimmy also plays online. A lot. At this one site mostly. So Runyon opens an account, plays terribly with a bunch of other players to establish himself until he scores with this other kid who, by looking at chats, is about as good a friend to Jimmy as one can get online. Luckily the kid lives in Columbus, So Runyon heads to town, enlists a Columbus detective he knows and manages to track down the kid's address. 

When he gets there, he hears music but no answer to his knocking. Tries the doorknob. Open. So Runyon slyly enters . . . to find a very recently killed adult still holding a pistol. As he checks out the murder scene, the perp comes tearing down the stairs. Both are caught unaware. Runyon, who's not carrying, dives for the corpse's gun. Shots are exchanged. Runyon gets a pretty healthy graze across his shoulder but the perp is shot dead.

Runyon gives chase after the boys, but doesn't get far due to blood loss. Ends up in the hospital. When he awakens, his Columbus detective friend is there. Says he came upon a drug deal gone horribly bad.  Runyon still needs to find the kid, but given the outcome of the shooting, you can bet the remaining druggies are after Runyon. 

So there are two chases underway: Runyon chasing down these 2 teenage chess players and the druggies chasing down Runyon. This goes on around Columbus and back towards Ambletown. 

Goble has stirred up a fun story full of colorful characters, a lot of wise cracking (courtesy of Runyon),  lots of chess details, car chases, gun fights, and an MMA-inspired encounter with a panel van all crammed into one story with two extended chases. Great literature? Nah. Address deep themes of the human condition? Please. A fun read that'll keep the pages turning? Absolutely.

Thanks to the good folks at Oceanview (haven't gone wrong yet with Oceanview mysteries) for making an advance reader copy available on Net Galley. Due for release on Aug 2, 2022.

ECD