Vagagond Illusion

When a body turns up beside the tracks in rural Winchester, Detective Sergeant Henry Stafford braces for another long weekend cut short. But when Toronto police report a second death-an older vagrant found in a freight car from the same train-the coincidences become impossible to ignore.

As Stafford, Detective Constable Randy Travers, and rookie Margaret Fenshaw follow the evidence, they uncover connections reaching from a Montreal tavern to a small-town shed-and to a man who appears alive but claims to remember nothing.

What begins as a straightforward investigation turns into a puzzle of mistaken identity, fractured families, and lost time. Between shifting truths and fragile loyalties, Stafford must separate illusion from reality before tragedy repeats itself.
Vagabond Illusion is Book 5 in the DS Henry Stafford Mystery series-a sharp, character-driven police procedural blending small-town humour, human drama, and the quiet complexities of life and loss in 1980s Ontario.

Readers who enjoy Louise Penny, Giles Blunt, and Maureen Jennings-smart, character-driven mysteries set in familiar Canadian landscapes will enjoy DS Henry Stafford, his family and his team.