In Pursuit of Evil by Maria Johs

About the book

On the day when a woman is found shot to death on a crofter's property in Peartree, Basil MacLowdher is aimlessly wandering through town while his wife, Elsie, gets an earful from the town's gossip who has, among other things, murder on her mind.

Detectives MacLanahan and Nicholson discover that the victim was a barmaid at the local pub, and by all indications also a blackmailer. They set out to find the person who might have an expensive skeleton in the closet, for Olive Malcom hadn't been shy about displaying her ill-gotten gains.

Meanwhile Emily Dughan returns home after a year's absence. She goes back to work in her father's grocery store where she meets the new assistant, Harry Saffron. She also meets Bernie Abbot, a solicitor who'd opened his office next door to them. Harry falls for Emily and tries to get her to go out with him. Emily ignores him, for her heart belongs to Nicholson. Bernie Abbot comes to the store frequently, but using his forgetful wife as an excuse, always makes his appearance after the store closes.

Soon the investigation reveals a variety of suspects. Wealthy Frank Dunbhar is at the top of the list. He had an affair with Olive and lacks an alibi for the night of the murder.

The police question Basil and Elsie MacLowdher, and Elsie, assuming that her husband is guilty, runs away from home. She would rather commit suicide than live with a murderer. Basil catches up with her and manages to talk her out of throwing herself into a loch. He tells her that Olive Malcom was his daughter.

Harry Saffron comes to the attention of the detectives and is questioned and released, but not before his alibi is verified.

The detectives are notified that Emily has disappeared and rush to Harry Saffron's residence. All they find, however, is a defiant Harry who refuses to talk to them. With the application of a little pressure from Nicholson and the promise of more to come, Harry decides to tell them that he was not the last person to see Emily. Bernie Abbot, who has a habit of coming to the store after it closes, may have something to do with her disappearance. They know immediately that Abbot is their killer and that he plans to make Emily his next victim. They race down the country road leading to the crime scene where they find an abandoned car. The open passenger door suggests that Emily jumped out of the car and ran into the forest. Nicholson runs into the forest to search for her and MacLanahan calls for assistance.

A shot, fired unintentionally by the killer, leads the police and Nicholson to him. Bernie Abbot is apprehended and Emily is rescued.

About the author

Maria Johs has spent the first fifteen years of her life in Germany. She then moved to the United States and settled in California. It is where she married, raised a family, and in due course got a college education. She holds a BA in Psychology from CSU Fullerton. She recently moved to Colorado to be near her son, Steve, and his family.

Though Maria spends much of her time volunteering at a local hospital, she finds time for family activities, gardening, hiking, and writing. She is currently working on her second novel, Behind a Mask, which is a continuation of the trials and tribulations of Chief Inspector MacLanahan and Sergeant Nicholson.