The Lost Years

by Mary Higgins Clark

This is the first book I have read by this author.  The mystery revolves around the death of a retired scholar who thinks he has discovered an ancient treasure, the only known letter from Jesus to Joseph of Arimathea.
He has been shot in his home, all the doors were locked, and his wife who has Alzheimer's is suspected as the perpetrator.

The man's daughter is distraught at the death of her father.  She had been having difficulty dealing with him since she found out that his father was having an affair with a young woman who accompanied him on some of his digs.  She is shocked that he betrayed her mother.

He had told some of his close colleagues about his discovery but none of them had the chance to see it.  No one admits to knowing where the parchment is now.

While the murder is being investigated her parent's next door neighbours return from a trip to discover millions of dollars of jewellry have been stolen, despite a supposedly state-of-the-art security system.  The husband of the couple is an attorney and eagerly takes on the mother's defense.

First the girl's mother's caregiver (who turns out to be an ex-con) disappears, then the girl's father's lover disappears and finally the girl herself disappears.

As the hunt for the killer continues the police find the thief who robbed the neighbour's home.  He claims to have seen someone running from the house of the night of the murder and says he got a good look at the person.... he can provide a sketch, in return for a deal on his punishment.

It is actually a friend of the family, an amateur sleuth who finds the clues that lead to the murderer, not the police.

It was a light, entertaining read.  I think I still like Rankin and Robinson and others murder series better.  They seem to have more character development and interesting plots.