What Happened To Flynn

by Pat Muir

Overview

This police-procedural mystery story, published in late 2017, already has several four star reviews on amazon.com. It describes how Shane Notfarg, a middle aged, female Afro-American detective in San Diego County is assigned the case of missing man, Arthur Flynn, in late 2008. (Do a Google search of Shane Notfarg and see how readily it leads to the book and the author, Pat Muir). Flynn has disappeared from a fishing camp on the Russian River in northern California, and his belongings were stolen from his campsite, suggesting foul play. His car is found fully stripped in Compton and forensics determines that it contained his dead body. Shane investigates his camp site neighbors and suspects one of them who has a criminal record and lives near Compton. But she cannot figure out how he carried out the murder. She learns Flynn had stumbled upon a money laundering operation and works with the Drug Enforcement Administration to get evidence that will dismantle the operation and convict the persons responsible.

But Flynn's body is not recovered and it isn't until 2015 that Shane discovers what happened to him and who arranged to kill him in a surprising ending. The novel also comments in passing on law enforcement's desire to seize a suspect's assets before a conviction and also on the prejudice Shane encounters as a black women in a male dominated environment.

Pat Muir has also authored "Stories To Entertain You...If You Get Bored On Your Wedding Night" and "The Numbers Man." These books are available on Amazon.com, Nook and Smashwords

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780967606026
Publisher:	PMBOOK
Publication date:	12/27/2017
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

Table of Contents

Chapters 1-6. Shanisha Notfarg, known as Shane, a detective in the San Diego County Sherifff office, is assigned the case of Arthur Flynn, who went missing from a fishing camp in Northern California in late 2008. Shane interviews Flynn's neighbors and his boss. She finds Flynn was unhappy at having to pay alimony to his ex-wife Marge, now living with her wealthy boyfriend, Larry.

Chapters 7-11 Shane discovers thieves stole Flynn's belongings. His car is found stripped in Compton not far from the thieves' home. Shane arrests these thieves when forensics determines the car's trunk had contained a dead body having Flynn's DNA.

Chapters 12-14 Flynn had written a letter to the DEA alleging that Larry was a money launderer. The DEA had dismissed the letter, believing Flynn was embittered against Larry. Shane discovers that an attempt had been made to kill Flynn by blowing up his home. Shane discovers fellow campers had used a stolen car. The car is located with difficulty and found to have a fingerprint of a vicious felon involved in the attempted explosion of Flynn's home.

Chapters 15-17 The DEA agree to cooperate in investigating the alleged money laundering operation. Shane and her partner determine Larry operates many cash generating businesses, all without any criminality. They believe money to be laundered is brought into Larry's office but they are unable to determine how. is is done.

Chapters 18-37. Read how Shane cracks the money laundering case. It leads to a witness being murdered and eventually to a body being found seven years later. Only then is Shane able to ascertain what happened to Flynn and prevent a further murder.

Editorial Reviews

In this procedural, police cast a wide net in their hunt for a fisherman; reeling in drug traffickers and money launderers becomes a bonus of the search. Shanisha “Shane” Notfarg is the only female detective and, she emphasizes, “black as well” in the homicide section of the San Diego sheriff’s office. Shane doesn’t like working missing person cases. She thinks they waste department resources because the majority of the people being tracked turn up on their own after an affair or a trip to Las Vegas. Mobile home realtor and resident Arthur “Art” Flynn, affable and recently divorced, proves the exception. Paying his multiple sclerosis–stricken neighbor, Mary Smith, to feed his cat and clean his home while he vacations at a fishing camp, Flynn never returns. In the seven years it takes to solve the case of the missing middle-aged man, Shane discovers he blew the whistle on a money-laundering scheme. The realtor’s actions may have led to his demise—if he truly is dead. Even though police identify probable murder suspects and evidence shows that the trunk of Flynn’s abandoned car once held a corpse with the realtor’s DNA, no body has been discovered. Although the absent Flynn drives the book, so vivid is the author’s characterization of him that readers should feel the vanished man is present. Muir (The Numbers Man, 2010, etc.) also richly details Flynn’s trailer park neighbors and fellow fishermen, but the true standout is Shane, dogged in closing the case. In her 50s, nearly 6 feet tall, and still the object of flirting, she finds that intimidation tactics come to her as easily as her quick identification of a Max Mara wool dress or a Gucci crocodile bag (“Yes, we women notice these things even if we can’t afford them”). The author writes authoritatively about police work; dialogue is credible; and an intricate plotline should keep readers guessing. …Don’t let this engaging story of a missing fisherman be the one that got away. KIRKUS BOOK REVIEW

I really enjoyed, What Happened to Flynn, an intriguing tale featuring headstrong female homicide detective, Shane Notfarg. Despite her initial dismay at being assigned a missing person’s case, Detective Notfarg, realizes the case is much more complex than first anticipated and eventually, the missing person’s case turns into a complex murder case. The story immediately pulled me in and kept me captivated and wondering what was going to happen next. It dragged a little in the middle but then picked up full force towards the end, unraveling more criminals and more plot twists. It was an easy read and a great book for a nice relaxing day. Author, Pat Muir, did an excellent job of blending strength and vulnerability in the character of Shane, making her both likable and relatable. You can’t help but respect her. However, the book itself lacks a certain depth. It is filled with details of the cases in a way that almost seems like reading a police report. Despite that critique this was a really good detective novel with an array of interesting characters. The plot twists will keep you guessing until the end. Veronica Townson

This is an excellent mystery, full of twists and turns with the strands of the story woven into a unified, satisfying whole. It starts with an interesting disappearance/possible murder, one with unusual facts that don’t seem to fit together, and leads the reader on a real roller coaster ride involving drug dealers, identity theft, money laundering, hit men and child pornography. At the end, it all makes sense and ties together wonderfully. The major strength of the book is the protagonist, Shane Notfarg, ,extremely good at what she does, relentless in her pursuit of justice, but not without flaws and quirks. Jefferson--First Editing.

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