by Dell Shannon
Part of Lieutenant Luis Mendoza, book 3
First published 1985
Lt. Luis Mendoza stares down at another body in Los Angeles, this one a known con man with more enemies than friends. The case should be routine for the LAPD veteran, but something nags at him. A connection emerges between this murder and the recent death of a local patrolman, two deaths that official reports treat as unrelated. Mendoza's instincts tell him otherwise. He digs deeper into both cases, following leads that seem to spiral in different directions yet somehow point toward the same dark center. The con man's criminal associates provide obvious suspects, but the patrolman's death complicates everything. As Mendoza peels back layers of deception, he discovers that corruption and violence intertwine in ways that threaten not just his investigation but his faith in the system he serves. The lieutenant must navigate between official procedure and personal conviction, knowing that the wrong choice could bury the truth forever.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: corruption, investigation, police-procedural
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 20th-century
Paperback · Mysterious Press
Content warnings: violence