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The Case of the Lonely Accountant

The Finder Mysteries, Book 2

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The Case of the Lonely Accountant

By: Simon Mason
Narrated by: Matthew Spencer
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About this listen

 A Guardian best crime and thriller book of 2024

'Mason has been mainlining Simenon for a while, and it shows' Mick Herron
'The very definition of unputdownable' David Peace
'It's like the provincial British version of Maigret' Clare Chambers

Bournemouth 2008, the height of the financial crash. Don Bayliss, a timid and well-mannered accountant, vanishes after leaving his office before a scheduled meeting. His wife is both perplexed and distraught. His clothes are found discarded at the mouth of Poole Harbour.

After seven years of searching with no firm leads, the investigation is closed, and Don is presumed dead.

Until, sorting through his possessions, his wife finds a garish business card of one Dwight Fricker and decides it must be of some importance. Now more than eight years after his disappearance Dorset Police call in the Finder and the cold case is reopened.

The Finder begins with the last sightings of Don on the day he went missing, hearing how he seemed in a hurry, somewhat distracted? He unearths a string of overlooked clues that lead him to face the unlikely friendships that Don had made, the somewhat overbearing nature of Mrs Bayliss, the secrets that haunted him in his home life and the mistakes that led to him being investigated at work.

The Case of the Lonely Accountant is a dark and rich mystery that centres upon one lonely man and reveals the distance between those who are missing and those who are lost. ©2025 Simon Mason (P)2025 Quercus Editions Limited Crime Thrillers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Thriller & Suspense

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Critic reviews

I have loved, as I have written here several times, Simon Mason's DI Wilkins series. And now I love, for different reasons, his Finder Mysteries. The tone of the novellas Missing Person: Alice and The Case of the Lonely Accountant (you'll want to read them both) is deadpan, somewhere between Georges Simenon and Kazuo Ishiguro (When We Were Orphans). Deadpan does not mean dry. Nor do the parallels between each case and the book that the narrator is reading - What Maisie Knew, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - indicate literary self-indulgence. These are satisfying, carefully plotted stories, as well as haunting depictions of voids in people's lives' Nicholas Clee, Bookbrunch
All stars
Most relevant
Great author and terrific narrator…many,many thanks . I hope there are plans from each of them for a great many more please!!

Depth and fascination of the story

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A beautifully written and narrated story. I listened to the first two books over four days, binging shamelessly. The only minor gripe after the two books was the inhuman composure and correctness of our Finder. Maybe he will crack in the next novel, a doubt or a smile, despair or transcendent happiness?
Otherwise I can't wait to start the next story.
Thoroughly recommended.

Pleased to have found the Finder series

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I found this a bit hard to keep up with as it doesn't have chapters, unlike the 1st Finder mystery or the Ray and Reyner series which I loved. However it is interesting story if you have to sit through it in one go as it's hard to find where you are at times. However, I look forward to the next Finder mystery, if there is one.

The Finder himself

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Nice story that reveals the sequence of events with the journey / backstory of the finder character. I’m immediately going to listen to next in the series.

Nicely presented, thought out

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Simon Mason is such a talented although possibly underrated author. His characterisation & story telling are of the highest order. I cannot recommend this particular book enough.

Wonderful

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