The Silent Second

A frustrated corporate admin starts a side gig as a PI in this debut mystery—"Think Monk meets Moonlighting, with a whole bunch of The Office tossed in" (M. William Phelps).

Chuck Restic has achieved the American dream: a successful career with a large corporation, his own home, a great health insurance and retirement package. But after 20 years in Human Resources he sees very little value in what he does all day . . . until he embarks on a mission to find a missing employee.

Soon, Chuck finds himself moonlighting as a private detective—and feeling alive again. While balancing the inane demands of his office, he begins to unravel a web of murder and crooked real estate deals. And while his HR skills are surprisingly useful in detective work, Chuck just hopes to solve the mystery without getting himself terminated.

"Full of humor, outrage, and suspense. Adam Phillips's book is everything a thriller should be." —Phoef Sutton, New York Times bestselling author of Heart Attack and Vine

"Phillips' prose overall is smart and supple, with a humorous bent." —Booklist

"[An] absorbing first novel." —Publishers Weekly

"One of the most engaging and refreshing novels to hit the market this season . . . Like me, you'll laugh your ass off while immersed in the mystery." —M. William Phelps, New York Times bestselling author of Dangerous Ground: My Friendship with a Serial Killer