The Moon Tunnel
Jim Kelly
St. Martin's, Dec 2005, $24.95, 336 pp.
ISBN: 031234922X

In England's Fen region, the archaeological team led by Cambridge's Professor Valmgimigli was digging for Anglo-Saxon artifacts at a World War II POW camp, when they found the underground tunnel that apparently was an escape route. Inside the tunnel is a skeleton in which the deceased seemingly heading back to the camp was shot in the head.

Local law enforcement, already overworked, treats the homicide as a five decade old cold case. The Crow reporter Philip Dryden finds the murder mystery quite fascinating, especially since he previously reported on the "Ely Dig", so he begins making inquiries. As he discovers clues to the identity of the dead man that take him to a landfill owner, the enigmatic legendary powerhouse Ma Trunch and a nearby Italian community, the clues to the homicide seem to always lead to a dead end.

The third Dryden journalist investigation is a fabulous mystery due to the hero, and other caring eccentric protagonists helping him as he makes his inquiries. Interestingly, Dryden is a bit of a coward, but does not allow his fears, for example of dogs, to stop his investigation as he rides his motivations of curiosity and compassion to learn the truth. Throwing in a touch of 1940's history, Jim Kelly provides a super tale.

Harriet Klausner