by Dell Shannon
Part of Lieutenant Luis Mendoza, book 36
First published 1986
Detective Luis Mendoza faces multiple threats stalking Los Angeles. A sexual predator kills without pattern or warning. A robber hits gas stations using methods that baffle investigators. An escaped prisoner roams free somewhere in the city. Mendoza and his L.A.P.D. colleagues work each case while the criminals stay one step ahead. The sex killer strikes again. The gas station robber changes tactics. The escaped convict plans his next move. Three separate investigations strain department resources as each case demands immediate attention. Mendoza must think like each criminal to catch them before they claim more victims. The detective knows that every hour of delay puts innocent people at risk.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, detective-story, race-against-time
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 20th-century
192 pages · Hardcover · Gollancz
Content warnings: violence