Fadeout by Joseph Hansen
Dave Brandstetter, insurance investigator, is looking into the death of local radio star and mayoral candidate Fox Olson, who crashed his car through a bridge railing on a rainy night. Fox's body has not yet been found, and Brandstetter finds more than one reason to be suspicious. As Dave spends time interviewing the Olson family members and gathering evidence, he comes to the conclusion that Fox is still alive.
Brandstetter is a tough, smart detective. He's openly gay and mourning the loss of his long-time partner to cancer. He's a good character, with strengths and flaws.
The story moves along quickly and we get several unlikeable suspects and a bit of local politics. The writing is spare but the author does a fabulous job at painting pictures and describing characters with few words.
Fadeout is not a fun book with its underlying sadness, but it is engrossing. I will probably listen to more in the series. It doesn't hurt that they're...