Amos Walker, the private investigator in Loren D. Estleman's SMOKE ON THE WATER, indicates that his hometown of Detroit is divided into three parts: the automotive industry, the city government and the casinos.

As Amos is sitting at the top of one of Detroit's casinos in the area known simply as The Amnesia, he looks out onto the nearby river that separates Michigan from Canada. In true Estleman language and through Amos’ undeniable voice, he observes that the smoke on the water is the result of Ontario having caught fire in a patch roughly the size of Massachusetts.

"With more and more smoke from burning Canada beginning to fill the streets of Detroit each passing hour, we have the ideal backdrop for another extremely satisfying Amos Walker adventure."

This leads to the next case for Amos when he nearly hangs up on an attorney's office who calls him with a job proposition. Glad that he took the call, Amos proceeds to the Waterford Group. Hermano Suerte, an attorney, informs him that one of their own, Spencer Bennett, was recently killed in a terrible hit-and-run accident. Bennett left behind a small cardboard box containing information that the firm wants back. When Amos asks about its contents, Suerte deflects by claiming confidentiality. As Amos is about to walk away from the case, Suerte concedes and lets him know that what’s inside the box involves an eco-terrorist group, and it may have led to Bennett’s death.

As with much of what Estleman writes, and particularly throughout this long-running series, the language is sharp and full of all the sting and grit that you would expect from classic crime noir. Amos is a no-nonsense PI, and the attitude that goes along with that is firmly on display here. He will need all of his guile and street smarts to uncover what Bennett knew that got him permanently silenced.

At the end of his first day on the case, Amos makes a mental checklist of what he knows. Spencer Bennett was a magician who not only made a box of files disappear but also may have been run over by his own car. The man who stole it mowed him down and then was found dead in the backseat of the wrecked vehicle. Spencer’s roommate, Evan Morse, may very well know where all the files are. If that's correct, then Amos will still be in the dark as Evan is found dead in his bathroom with two slugs in his chest. Someone knew he had chatted with Amos and needed him silenced.

Meanwhile, Suerte throws another name at Amos to investigate: Francis Birdseye, who sued his eco-friendly company, Semper Solaris, for wrongful termination and was working with Bennett on the case against them. Amos also must take on the additional burden of figuring out how his longtime friend at the Detroit PD, John Alderdyce, landed in a coma after allegedly trying to kill himself via carbon monoxide poisoning in his own vehicle. He knows that John never would have chosen to go out that way and wants answers.

When Amos arrives at Semper Solaris, he is met with a lot of strange behavior --- from the receptionist to the corporate attorney to the head guy --- and has no problem believing that this paranoid bunch could be behind it all.

With more and more smoke from burning Canada beginning to fill the streets of Detroit each passing hour, we have the ideal backdrop for another extremely satisfying Amos Walker adventure. SMOKE ON THE WATER easily can be enjoyed by fans and newcomers alike.