Code Matters — Dave Balcom

Encoding... In this, the 7th Jim Stanton Mystery, the retired journalist is confronted with deciphering a maze of codes, ultimately requiring him to evaluate his personal code of ethics. A long-time friend has gone missing. Jim has been asked to help in a search to find the man. What follows is a baffling search that takes Jim inside a Phoenix crime family. From there the trail leads to Las Vegas, Silicon Valley, and finally to San Jose where his unique talent for asking the right questions entangles him in a 20-year-old cold case. And still no closer to finding his friend. When his search finally brings his friend's fate into clear focus, Jim finds that codes of conduct are as varied as the people who carry them, and, in the final analysis, he understands once and for all that all codes matter.