Presumed Dead — Shirley Wells

DYLAN SCOTT HAS PROBLEMS
Dismissed in disgrace from the police force for assaulting a suspect, Dylan has no job, his wife has thrown him out and -- worse still -- his mother has moved in. So when Holly Champion begs him to investigate the disappearance of her mother, who went missing thirteen years ago, he can't say no...even though it means taking up residence in the dreary Lancashire town of Dawson's Clough for the duration.

The local police still maintain that Holly's mother, Anita, simply took off for a better life. Yet Dylan's inquiries turn up plenty of potential suspects: the drug-dealing, muscle-bound bouncer at the club where Anita was last seen; the missing woman's four vindictive girlfriends; the local landowner with rumored mob connections.... But the citizens of Dawson's Clough aren't telling Dylan all they know, and he soon finds that one sleepy northern town can keep a lot of secrets.