Part of Mario Balzic Detective Mystery, book 9
First published 1991
A Lutheran minister storms into town hall, furious about the new pornography shop that opened at the edge of their community. Police Chief Balzic listens to the complaint, but his attention quickly shifts when a vicious knife attack leaves someone dead in the shop's parking lot. The murder scene sits at the intersection of moral outrage and violent crime, forcing Balzic into a complex investigation. He must track down witnesses who would rather stay silent and ask questions that make people uncomfortable. The case pulls him deeper into the tensions between those who want the shop gone and those who defend its right to exist. Balzic works methodically through the evidence, but the murder exposes deeper conflicts in his community. The investigation becomes about more than finding a killer.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, moral-ambiguity
Setting: Town Hall
176 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Mysterious Press
Content warnings: violence