Title: Someone Has Taken My Place
Author: David Snow
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 978-1480035485
Pages: 391, Paperback/Kindle
Genre: Mystery
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent, Pacific Book Review
Book Review
Someone Has Taken My Place is a mystery that takes readers across two continents to catch an identity thief. Author David Snow’s novel, which is based on his own investigative work for The Irish Examiner, is a compelling mystery that is as intelligent as it is heartfelt.
The novel’s main character, insurance investigator and PI Andy Stone, stumbles upon an insurance fraud case in his native Ireland that he finds to be suspicious. When digging further into the details, he uncovers an identity theft by an American (who wears a cowboy hat) named John Harrison which further leads to a more complicated plot involving the Secret Service, Interpol, and the Irish police. Stone’s dogged determination to find “The Cowboy’’ takes the reader along on a journey from rainy Ireland to the deserts of Arizona and Oklahoma to solve the mystery of how to catch Harrison.
Snow’s novel takes the complicated crime of identity theft and makes it personal through many twists and turns leading to a climatic end to the story. Stone’s character development is a throwback to the stereotypical straitlaced detectives often found in earlier crime fighting novels with his “fight for justice” motivation. The novel combines and interleaves the modern technology of the Internet in Stone’s research along with his personal obsession for finding Harrison and protecting Ireland’s national security. Ireland becomes a character itself with his vivid descriptions of the verdant land and the complications of the country’s current economy. Snow paints his homeland in a masterfully articulate dichotomy as being a complicated society, yet situated in a place of natural beauty and simple, straightforward values.
Someone Has Taken My Place is a novel that combines Stone’s dry Irish humor with a serious hunt for moral integrity and justice. The novel not only entertains, but educates readers about the dangers of identity theft. The book is a refreshing change from the usually gory mystery novels. Stone’s only weapons throughout the book were his laptop and phone – the modern day sword and shield. I was also very fascinated seeing the inner workings of the usually dry insurance industry come to life with personal stories of how insurance fraud and identity theft affect every day citizens. This novel would surely appeal to adult mystery lovers who like a non-violent story with a clever heroic protagonist.
This book is an excellent mystery that takes readers on a non-stop ride through the ruthless world of identity theft to find the truth and restore the names of innocent victims. Someone Has Taken My Place will keep readers rooting for Andy Stone right up until the end of this smart and emotional novel.
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