Ben and Carol Jansen are a loving couple taking their boat on a pleasure voyage to Sanibel Island. They encounter a boat in distress with a young couple on board. Ben is wary, but Carol is moved to aid the couple.  What they don't realize is that appearances can be deceiving. 

Sam Dahl is a DEA agent surveilling travelers moving through LAX airport. Sam’s role in the War on Drugs is to act on any suspicious activity and seize drug money being moved. Sam is instinctive and he can disarm many suspects with his persuasive inquiries. A recent seizure of illicit funds has Sam’s antenna up, but bureaucracy prevents further investigation from his end. His frustration is appreciable. Sam receives a call from his sister regarding the missing Jansens and he decides to travel to Florida to do some unauthorized digging. His journey just may bear fruit but in ways he never expected.

Shadow Investigation brings the reader back to 1987, during the fever pitch of the quixotic war on drugs. Sam Dahl represents a soldier attracted to the non-stop action of government derring-do, his work is incessant. The victories are short-lived, as the pipeline of drugs is never stopped for long. Sam’s resolute nature makes him a remarkable protagonist who will garner interest along with his fight against various criminals. Author Christopher Amato convincingly writes a thrilling detective novel that never cedes its grip on the reader. Amato doesn’t rely on the “Miami Vice” perspective of the drug war, relying on glitz and glamor to sell the narrative. Instead, he showcases how surveillance, wiretaps, and old-fashioned detective work can cut down drug cartels. The realism of the story infused with the drama makes for a truly readable tale. One of those books you race through.