Richard Enns Gives Readers a Detective Worth Following in the Suspenseful ‘A Driftwood Doll’

Time can turn a disappearance into a collection of fading memories and unanswered questions. In Richard Enns’s A Driftwood Doll, one unexpected connection brings an old mystery back into focus, drawing retired detective Michael Tough toward a truth someone would prefer to leave buried.

Alongside that investigation, the novel follows Becky Tough through pregnancy, PTSD, and a difficult struggle to leave cigarettes behind for good.

When an Old Photograph Changes Everything

Stephanie Alexander was fifteen when she disappeared following a bitter confrontation with her wealthy New York family. Years later, the trail appears cold. Michael Tough, a retired detective with experience at California’s Ocean View Police Department, agrees to investigate what became of her.

The case changes direction when a photograph enters Michael’s family circle.

His adopted daughter Stacy recognizes Stephanie, although she knows her by a different name: Janey Young. Suddenly, Michael has something investigators lacked before. Stephanie apparently lived another life after disappearing, and Stacy’s knowledge offers a path into it. Her memories of Janey Young become the first real lead in years.

Hidden identities and troubling personal histories begin surfacing as Michael and his team examine Stephanie’s movements. The investigation leads toward vulnerable young women and environments where exploitation can flourish.

Danger also surrounds the search. Someone has a serious interest in keeping Stephanie’s past concealed. Michael has spent enough years on difficult cases to recognize the risks, yet a young woman’s unknown fate keeps him searching.

Series readers will notice a secondary plot that began in the previous book running through this one and on into the next.

Becky’s Battle Happens Much Closer to Home

The mystery surrounding Stephanie provides A Driftwood Doll with its investigative momentum, while Becky’s story brings a distinctly personal form of tension.

Becky is pregnant, living with PTSD, and trying to stop smoking. Her trauma flares after Michael finds himself near Janet Miller’s shooting, so the last three months of her pregnancy become a white-knuckled stretch. Cigarettes become tied to stress, old patterns, accountability, and the example she sets for other women.

Over time she has had several lapses, and she confronts them openly within the ladies’ group she leads for women recovering from prostitution and substance abuse. She even carries a pack of cigarettes while quitting, using it as a weekly accountability check with the group.

Then Jenny finds them.

At two and a half, Jenny asks questions that leave Becky little room to dodge an uncomfortable subject. If Mommy wants to stop, why would she smoke again?

Becky answers honestly.

She explains addiction through ideas her daughter can understand, including the familiar temptation of wanting candy even when a child knows it is bad for her. Her explanation makes a complicated adult struggle accessible while keeping its seriousness intact. She also tells Jenny plainly that cigarettes are something she should never want to try.

The scene also exposes Becky’s embarrassment. She is a mother, a pregnant woman, and someone other women look toward for guidance. Admitting that she slipped is painful. Continuing her recovery requires that admission.

She pushes through the cravings until one week before delivery, when she gives in to a single cigarette. That cigarette turns out to be her last.

During this period, another relationship quietly takes shape. Becky grows close to her OB/GYN, Dr. Michelle Lin. That connection develops into a lasting friendship that continues through the series, giving this difficult chapter of Becky’s life consequences that extend well beyond pregnancy.

Stacy’s recognition of Stephanie matters for another reason, since her own past gives her an intimate understanding of exploitation and survival. Jenny adds a different dimension, as her uncomplicated questions cut through adult embarrassment and put addiction into plain language. That family dynamic gives the novel warmth alongside its darker mystery elements. Published on October 9, 2026, A Driftwood Doll is available in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover editions.

About the Author

A retired probation officer, Richard Enns worked for the San Diego County Probation Department for nearly 22 years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in History from North Park College in Chicago and a Master of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary. Richard lives in San Diego with his wife and two children.

What Stays After the Mystery

Two compelling reasons keep readers turning the pages of A Driftwood Doll. The disappearance raises questions about identity, secrecy, and the dangers surrounding vulnerable people, while Becky’s experience captures the exhausting persistence required to overcome an addiction during an emotionally fragile time.

Richard ultimately brings these threads together through characters who keep searching, admitting difficult truths, and moving forward. For Michael, that means finding Stephanie. For Becky, it means reaching the moment when the last cigarette truly becomes the last one. For Jenny, it means learning that honest questions deserve honest answers.