by Dell Shannon
Part of Lieutenant Luis Mendoza, book 29
First published 1989
Lieutenant Mendoza has seen every kind of urban violence the city can produce. He knows how criminals think and how investigations unfold. But the cases piling up on his desk test even his experienced instincts. A dangerous rapist who targets children prowls the streets, leaving terror in his wake. Under a crumbling house in the city's deteriorating neighborhoods, workers discover the body of an unknown woman. Meanwhile, a shooting victim lies dead and a string of robberies continues across the city. Every lead runs cold. Every witness stays silent. Mendoza must find new ways to crack cases that seem designed to frustrate traditional police work. The crimes appear random and senseless, but Mendoza knows that behind the chaos lies human motivation he can understand and exploit. As the investigations drag on without progress, the pressure mounts to deliver results before more victims suffer.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, police-procedural
Setting: City
Period: Contemporary
216 pages · Hardcover · Gollancz
Content warnings: violence