Every individual reader likely has a specific idea about what makes a great mystery thriller. Generally speaking, there needs to be a balance of fascinating characters, a cast that is not so large that it’s difficult to remember who’s who but large enough that the villain and/or resolution is not obvious too early in the story, and of course twists that are thrilling, surprising, and intense. Sometimes an author gets the recipe exactly right—and that is precisely what P.J. Tracy has done with Desolation Canyon.
Right away, the reader meets back up with Los Angeles Police detective Margaret Nolan, who is still struggling to cope with the loss of her brother, Max, but now also has the heavy burdens she was left with after the events of Tracy’s Deep Into The Dark. We also find Sam Easton, the physically and emotionally scarred military veteran that Nolan met by happenstance during the events of the previous instalment of this popular series. Sam was also left with sadness and loss to process at the conclusion of that case, and we are quickly reminded of what difficult circumstances he still must face.
The second book in a series often gets the advantage of telling a story in a more straightforward way since so much of the world and its inhabitants were already introduced in the first book, and that is the case here, with fantastic results. The story is streamlined in a way that could not be done if each character still had to be introduced to the reader. But because all of this groundwork was done so well in Deep Into The Dark, we get to focus purely on story here, and it is an outstanding criminal tale.
With Desolation Canyon, the reader is also treated to a larger share of the world these characters live and work in. Margaret Nolan’s parents are both part of this story, and we get to understand Nolan even better by seeing her relationship and interactions with these two people who are also grieving for Max, but instead of this bonding the family together, it seems that it is eroding their relationship instead.
With Desolation Canyon, P.J. Tracy has written a cleverly crafted and intricately weaved mystery as well as a pulse-pounding, page turner of a thriller. I am already excited to see more of these characters!
Desolation Canyon is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
P.J. Tracy “seems to have found her literary sweet spot” (New York Times Book Review) with her dazzling new series, and in Desolation Canyon, fans get a deeper look into the complex characters who call Los Angeles home.
LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is struggling to move forward after the death of her brother in Afghanistan and taking a life in the line of duty. Her stoic parents offer little support – they refuse to address anything difficult, and she’s afraid their relationship is eroding beyond the point of recovery.
The days off are the hardest, because they give Margaret time to think. A moment of weakness leads to cocktails with a colleague—an attraction she knows could be dangerous —at the luxurious Hotel Bel-Air bar. A stroll through the grounds leads to a grim discovery beneath the surface of Swan Lake: the body of a successful attorney who made his fortune in international trade.
It initially appears to be death by misadventure, but the case is anything but straightforward. As a series of shocking revelations emerge, Nolan finds herself confronting a sinister cabal that just might destroy her and everyone she loves.
