For a hard-working genre writer, it pays to mix things up a little. Kate Wilhelm tends to intersperse her Barbara Holloway legal thrillers with mystery stories of a different ilk. Still there are commonalities. Most Wilhelm novels are set in Oregon; most feature a female protagonist who turns out to be stronger than she looks.

In The Price of Silence Todd Fielding arrives in the small town of Brindle, Oregon, to take on the task of editing the local newspaper, which is in a sorry state. Todd’s husband continues his PhD studies at the nearby university town, and for several days a week, Todd is alone in their rented house.

Meanwhile, the newspaper proprietor, the ageing Ruth Ann Colonna, plans a special edition celebrating the history of Brindle.

Except there doesn’t seem to be much to celebrate. In fact, Brindle appears to be a town built on lies, fraud, deception, murder, and worse. More than that, Todd starts to suspect that something has been happening to Brindle’s children for too many years: there are at least five young girls missing in similar circumstances, but nobody wants to talk about it or investigate their disappearance.

There’s no fat on this. The main characters are well-drawn, and the plot keeps rolling along, and you keep turning the pages. There are Agatha Christie-like red herrings, false accusations, and all the tension you’d expect in a story featuring an outsider trying to get at the truth.

This is a solid Kate Wilhelm rather than a spectacular one. She’s done this kind of thing before, often better. It’s a fast read, and only lasted a day for me on my recent holiday. UK readers will struggle to get hold of it, unless willing to order from the States, as I did. I bought the hardback, but I’d recommend waiting for the paperback.