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Troglodytes: A P.I. Frank Johnson Mystery    by Ed Lynskey Amazon.com order for
Troglodytes
by Ed Lynskey
Order:  USA  Can
Mundania, 2010 (2008)
Paperback
*   Reviewed by Pat Elliott

Don’t let the word troglodyte throw you. I didn't know what it was either. The dictionary says it is a primitive cave person. A reclusive person. PI Frank Johnson learns more about troglodytes than he really wants to know as he searches for Sylvester Mercedes.

Lois Mercedes offers Frank an unlimited amount of cash to find her husband, Sylvester. Lois has not heard from him in two weeks. Sylvester was last seen in Ankara, Turkey.

Frank hates to fly but needs the money, so he catches a flight to Ankara. He did an Army tour in Turkey years ago. He has an acquaintance who owns the Otel Pamuk, so he makes his headquarters there. Fortunately, Sylvester was staying at Otel Pamuk when he disappeared.

Frank ambles around Ankara, seemingly with no clues until about the middle of the book. Then things begin to come together. Clues lead Frank to Cappadocia's underground cities.

The underground cities are interesting and I wish Lynskey had included more of their history. The pace is a little slow at first but picks up when Frank begins to put the puzzle together. He discovers things about Mercedes, Sylvester, and his friend and boss, Robert Gatlin, that raises his suspicions. He is mugged, concussed, accused of murder, witnesses the bombing of the US Embassy in Turkey, and earns every penny of the money Mercedes pays him.

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