Taut, atmospheric police procedural that weaves timely social commentary into a murder mystery.
A routine call to track and shoot a mountain lion that apparently killed Bennet Tarlow, a wealthy land developer in the hills of Orange County California, quickly unravels into a complex murder investigation. Detective Lew Gale, previously a Marine sniper and also a member of the local Acjacheme Indian community, and his new partner Daniela Mendez, discover that Tarlow was shot execution style before the lion got to him. Now the pair is tracking humans and that trail is leading to secrets, lies, and greed.
This was really complex in that there were so many details about the indigenous culture and history of the Spanish missions in the area and how that changed and displaced the communities. There is conflict between them and the powerful and rich who basically stole the land. Exploited the natives and destroyed their heritage. I liked the depth and dimension of the main characters, Lew and Daniela, whose backstories are unusual and compelling. The writing is excellent as the author weaves all of the historical into present day issues. The pacing was good and could be described as a slow burn as the characters come to life. Definitely has a lot of depth and context. I could see this as a series, and if so, I will be reading more.
I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, John Pirhalla, did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life with his versatility and skill with accents. His voice is very smooth and compelling and helped create the right atmosphere for a totally immersive experience.
This is a standalone, at least right now, though I would love for it to go further.
Tags and genre - indigenous peoples, land development, greed, murder, police procedural
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