Nick Shaw is a private detective reminiscent of Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe, except neither one of them aspired to be an actor to the best of my recollection. In fact Nick is trying his best without much luck to break out of private investigation and into acting when he see an ad online for a casting call. Thus begins Cold Reading, by David Wisehart.

Nick does really poorly in the cold reading tryout, but the good news is the producer, Edward Grant notices his previous work experience on his resume. What a coincidence...his girl friend is missing and he is in a hurry to find her. Not really wanting the job, Nick quotes a high fee but that backfires. The producer immediately agrees and Nick is on the case, ready or not.

Though he has little to go on, Nick is enterprising and begins to follow up on the few clues he has. Before he knows it, he is caught in a web of lies and confusing clues but he doesn't consider giving up...not even when he is set up and framed for murder.

Author David Wisehart aspires to recreate the hard-boiled detective genre of the 1930's updated to the modern era. Wit and irony are used frequently to move the plot along, and maybe a few too many coincidences in the multi layered conspiracy surrounding the missing girl. It does make for an interesting tale with surprises unfolding throughout the book. The climax is chilling and I'm sure will play well in the movie version...I doubt real people would live through that, but that is what makes fiction so exciting. I think we may be seeing more of Nick and confidently expect to be hearing more from David Wisehart. Hard boiled detective fans should enjoy the ride.

I received a free ebook version of the book Cold Reading in a giveaway on LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A very well written missing person case with an excellent plot. The story has a steady pace with plenty of twists and turns. Noah Shaw is a very likeable main character. There is some humor mixed in with the suspense. A fast moving story that provides a quick enjoyable read. Highly recommended book for all mystery lovers. ( )

This is a fast moving missing person case for a 30 year old private investigator/ wannabe actor. The story is well constructed, the anomalies are deliberate and beware - not a single sentence is superfluous to working out what is actually going on before the revelation! ( )