Slow burning mystery thriller that might be the start of a new series.
Inspector Raquel Laing faces a complicated case with a sort of timer countdown. The police have a dying man in custody, The Highwayman, who may give them answers and names for a series of murders dating back 50 years. The intensity and pressure increase when a set of remains is found under the base of a huge statue that is being restored on the Gardener Estate. Could this be another of his victims?
The Gardener Estate, a vast property with a huge mansion and extensive formal gardens, has a long history in California. In the family for generations, it was briefly the site of a commune in the 70s when Rob Gardener inherited but had no interest in claiming material possessions for himself. Now, the Estate has been lovingly restored to its former glory by a trust and managed by a board that includes one of Rob's cousins. The hippies have been long gone, but the bones indicate that it was one of them.
Told in a then and now format, the narrative introduces many interesting characters. Raquel learns a lot from the archivist on site and the historical records and photographs from the commune era and tries to find any of those who were there in the 70s to get answers. Although it was slow moving, things really start to pick up in the last fourth of the book and all is revealed in a satisfying conclusion. I found it quite interesting and think that there is much to learn about Raquel so wonder if there will be more novels featuring this character. This wasn't an intense, gripping suspense thriller but more a police procedural mystery.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and not, as yet, part of any series.
Genre - police procedural, mystery thriller
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