by Dell Shannon
Part of Lieutenant Luis Mendoza, book 17
First published 1970
Luis Mendoza faces two urgent cases that will test the LAPD's resolve. A murder victim lies dead, the circumstances puzzling and the killer unknown. More pressing still, an eight-year-old girl has been brutally assaulted, and the man who hurt her remains free on the streets of Los Angeles. Mendoza knows the statistics. He knows that men who attack children often escalate their violence. The detectives must move quickly before the rapist claims his next victim. As the investigation intensifies, Mendoza and his team follow leads through the sprawling city, racing against time and their own limitations. The cases demand everything from the seasoned detective and his colleagues. Meanwhile, a new four-legged member joins the household when Cedric, an English sheepdog, enters the scene. In this sixteenth installment of the series, Dell Shannon delivers the methodical police work and human stakes that drive Mendoza forward, even when the odds seem impossible.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: race-against-time, serial-killer
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 20th-century
192 pages · Hardcover · Gollancz
Content warnings: child-abuse, sexual-assault, violence