Peter Paulseth

Shelter in Place Peter Paulseth

Rededemption can come in unexpected ways. For Jake, a retired teacher in full retreat from past troubles, it comes through the disappearance of Jaydon, a young boy with whom he had formed a unlikely friendship. His attempts to solve the mystery of the boy's disappearance uncover a growing list of suspects, including a neighbourhood kid who has systematically and brutally bullied him, a pastor who has been deeply involved with Jaydon and his mother, but whom Jake finds suspiciously controlling, and an abusive father recently out of prison. With the media stoking fears of a serial child killer at loose in the city and the police more focused on Jake himself, he begins to reach out to people from his past and reforge lost connections, He sorts through dreams and memories and even rekindles an unrequited romance. This process forces him to relive his wife's death, the disaffection of his children, and the loss of his career.

Over the course of eighteen late summer days, relying on investigative techniques gleaned from his extensive reading of mystery novels, Jake moves ever closer to a solution to the mystery, a greater acceptance of his own past, and a hopeful view of his future. Shelter In Place is a mystery set in a fictional Toronto neighbourhood that examines how fear can tear apart communities, but also touches on the possibilities of personal redemption. It is a story both tragic and hopeful.