Trash Course

Terry Faye loves her job as a private investigator but she may be in over her head on this case, literally. Trash Course by Penny Drake has Terry doing a welfare check on two older gentlemen, little does she realize that the two men are hoarders and that their house is a booby-trapped maze. When the welfare check turns up two dead bodies Terry is sure that her case is solved, then one of the bodies is determined to be too young to be one of the gentlemen. The case is further complicated by the determined efforts of reporter Zack Archer to assist, unasked, with the investigation.

Weaving through the mounds of newspapers and canyons of boxes, Terry is almost overwhelmed by the sheer number of items stored in the house. She is hired by the older gentlemen’s niece to find important family documents including the missing will and to try and figure out where the missing gentleman has gone. Terry finds herself attracted to the mysterious Zack and relying more and more on his presence in searching through the mound of garbage in the house. When the danger escalates Terry is forced to rely on Zack even though he may be involved in the missing gentleman.

I am a Hoarders fan and have to admit that I chose this book because of the hoarding aspect. Drake’s description of the garbage and treasures piled in the house is realistic and I found myself shuddering in one scene where Terry is walking across a large number of bugs that are living in the piles of stuff. Trash Course is told from the first person point of Terry and feels very informal but gives you a keen insight into the thought process of Terry. The first person point of view also does a great job of helping build the suspense as you (the reader) have no idea what the other characters are thinking. Zack was a great hero, at once both mysterious and open. I enjoyed the novel but be aware that there is quite a bit of swearing and the use of the “f” word.

Belinda Harris arrives at Hawk Enterprise in Ann Arbor explaining to private investigator Terry Faye that she came from Missouri to insure her two elderly uncles are okay. She went from the airport to their home, but could not enter as the door is blocked on the inside by something. Furthermore Belinda says they are hoarders who have lived in this house for five decades.

Terry and Ms. Hawk enter the house where trash and roaches are everywhere while Belinda remains in the car. They soon learn the hard way that Uncle Lawrence has set up a series of “landmines” ready to hammer the unwary. Their friend Professor Slava Cherenko joins them inside the house. They find the corpses of Uncle Howard and Uncle Lawrence as well as catching photographer Zack Archer taking pictures. Belinda asks them to find the missing will while one of the bodies is too young to be one of the uncles.

Trash Course is a superb mystery starring a strong ensemble cast and a hoard of a lifetime, which will surprise readers with the clever full set-up. The rookie sleuth is learning the ropes from her superstar boss while attracted to the photographer she does not trust; their romance is kept to a limit as the case of the hoarding uncles and where it stunningly leads is the focus. Her BFF Slava is a wonderful support character who claims her Chernobyl KGB experience would make her a perfect field operator though she is way too tall and garish to simply blend in. Fast-paced and filled with action, fans will relish this enjoyable serio-comedic detective thriller.

Harriet Klausner

Terry Faye is a kick-ass PI with a weakness for cherry cheesecake and a talent for getting into trouble. When she and her boss, Diana Hawk of Hawk Enterprises, return home to Ann Arbor after taking down a Russian child trafficking operation, the nice, simple job of looking in on a couple of elderly and reclusive uncles sounds like a walk in the park.

But the uncles are hoarders and that walk in the park turns into a scavenger hunt through maze of moldering books, a forest of broken furniture, scores of decaying insects, and enough garbage to choke a junkyard, to say nothing of the booby traps.

Soon Terry Faye begins to suspect that hidden somewhere in this mess may be much more than the secret to the mystery of the two missing men. Nothing in this case is exactly as it seems, least of all Zack Archer, the investigative photographer who keeps showing up where he doesn’t belong, knowing more than he should.

Trash Course is a suspenseful escapade that tackles the subjects of hoarding and child trafficking head on. These aren’t natural subjects for romantic fiction and for good reason. Penny Drake’s story is a solid adventure, but the romance between Terry Faye and Zack is overwhelmed by the mystery and doesn’t really take off until very late in the game.

I enjoyed the book all the same. The action was terrific, the mystery kept me guessing, and I loved the rich detail. If, occasionally, I felt as if Ms. Drake lingered a little too long on the minutiae of Terry Faye’s life in Ann Arbor, it’s hard to complain. Many of the supporting characters, particularly her Ukrainian friend Slava, were intriguing enough to support books of their own and the description of the uncles’ house was so vivid, my dust allergies started acting up!

And, as with all the best mysteries, an incidental fact can turn out to be deceptively important. I have a feeling Trash Course is a book that would reward a second read. I’d welcome another adventure with the Hawk Enterprises team. I just hope next time I won’t need antihistamines

Val
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

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