Dek Elstrom once had it all. He had a thriving business, lived in the exclusive neighborhood of Crystal Waters, and was happily married. Now, he’s lost just about everything except for the run down turret he lives in and a few friends. So when the chief of security from Crystal Waters shows up on his doorstep with an envelope and a check, Dek is ready to listen.

In A Safe Place for Dying by Jack Fredrickson, someone has blown up one of the exclusive homes at Crystal Waters, but they have one possible clue- a ransom note. Dek has been hired to examine the note, but this has to stay quiet with no police, because the owners are afraid that the values of the homes will plummet if word gets out. Then there is another explosion, and worse yet his beloved ex-wife still lives there.

Humorous and yet with a serious side, this mystery looks to be the beginning of a new series featuring Dek. The second book, Honestly Dearest, You’re Dead has Dek named as an executor of a will to a woman whom he doesn’t even know and doesn’t even live in the same town. He travels to the rundown small town and who discovers that the woman was murdered. Her life and death are a mystery, but Dek is about to find out that ignorance is not always bliss.