The Cues

When former teacher and reluctant sleuth Pat Riordan attends a colleague’s funeral, he expects grief—not suspicion. But when the widow presses a cryptic letter into his hand and quietly asks for help, Pat is drawn into a mystery that won’t let go.

Joe was a good man. Thoughtful. Careful. Before his death, he had launched a university course digging into local cold cases—an unusual move in their quiet college town. Then he took a fall. Went to the hospital. And died.

Now, with nothing more than a few clues—what Pat comes to call the cues—he begins peeling back the genteel façade of a town steeped in privilege, secrets, and decades-old disappearances. What he uncovers points toward power, corruption, and quiet ruthlessness hiding in plain sight.

As Pat follows Joe’s final trail, old cases begin to feel dangerously alive. The past has not been forgotten. It has been protected.

Told with crisp dialogue, dry humor, and a deep understanding of human nature, The Cues is a thoughtful amateur sleuth mystery rooted in classic storytelling and small-town unease.

Perfect for readers of Craig Johnson, William Kent Krueger, Colin Dexter, and Louise Penny—and for anyone who enjoys thoughtful mysteries rooted in character, community, and buried secrets.