Behind Sunset by David Gordon

 

A standalone crime novel by an author who's written a lot of books I've enjoyed. Set in 1994, which does make communications less ubiquitous and reliable, and because the Internet is not such a dominant feature of every day life, it's harder to find information as quickly; it turns out it's also just about at the end of media, which makes the blackmail storyline here possible, at least the Maguffin part of it. Gordon has a knack for turning phrases, and an ear for dialogue, and both are on display through out the novel. The story is a little ... convoluted, but it's not endless mindless twists in pursuit of cleverness. Very readable and I'm happy I made a little extra effort to find it.