Nicholas Rice, modest, unassuming, runs to keep fit, suspects that someone is stalking him, but cannot figure out who or why. One morning, he is struck by a car and badly injured. Peter Culnane and his partner set out to investigate what appears to be an accident, but things don’t add up. The car was stolen and no sign of the driver. There is nothing to do but follow normal police procedure and start digging into everybody’s life who knew Rice: his work associates, friends, and neighbors. Slowly, the pieces start falling into place, revealing revenge plot that went badly wrong.

With Running Scared, S. L. Smith presents a superbly written work filled with exquisitely crafted dialogue, immersing the reader into some of the less glamorous aspects of police work. Peter Culnane and his partner have an engaging relationship that relieves the tedium of lengthy interviews and sifting through fiddling details. S. L. Smith keeps the reader guessing, like a good mystery should. The only flaw I can find with this book are the laborious interviews that go into unnecessary specifics. If someone wants to experience and understand how police conduct an investigation, this novel will be rewarding.