Gone to Dust

Gone to Dust, a fast-paced and funny private eye novel by Matt Goldman, is set in wintry Minnesota. A woman is found murdered in her home, the entire crime scene obscured by thick layers of vacuum cleaner bag dust.  This detail, unsurprisingly, is an obstacle to the investigation.  When the police call in private investigator Nils Shapiro, he looks into the dead woman’s past, including her organic sheep farmer ex-husband, her rich,sleazy boyfriend, and a mysterious young woman living in a swankily decorated apartment. Shapiro hangs out in bars and cafes, talking to “sturdy young women” and tries to forget his ex-wife, while tailing another P.I., a wispy gent with a pencil mustache. There’s a political intrigue subplot, the frigid Minnesota setting, a dogged but soft-hearted detective, and humor to spice up this mystery.