Joe, a lathe operator by trade, has fallen into the private eye business and word spreads fast in the small village. Soon, three separate people approach him to discover the identity of the young woman. The owners of the cottage, who were in London at the time, claim to have no idea who the woman is or why she was staying in their cottage. Yet each of them retains Joe without the other's knowledge. Joe spends a good deal of the next few days not investigating, but debating the ethics of doing the same job for three different clients.

As Joe begins more familiar with the village and its residents, he gathers clues to the identity of the young woman without realizing it. Soon he finds himself in possession of several of the village's deepest, darkest secrets, including child pornography and drug dealing. He discovers that someone attempted murder once to keep these secrets hidden and won't hesitate to try again.

Singing the Sadness proves not to be Joe's best outing to date. He is out of his element in this small town, and it is unclear why so many people are so quick to trust an outsider to discover the identity of the young woman, especially when many have secrets that are best kept hidden and Joe makes no secret he has contact with the local police force. Joe remains an enjoyable character, perhaps a little off his game, most likely due to his injuries. His flirtations with the red-haired Beryl may have finally paid off and he may soon get his chance to be with her.

The small village atmosphere created includes some entertaining local characters and contributes to the overall effect of the book. The mystery is a bit complicated and the ending is rushed, leaving a few too many ends unexplained satisfactorily.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry