Following a dramatic fall from grace with the LAPD, detective Beth McDade has landed in the lonely desert city of Barstow. Located between LA and Las Vegas, Barstow is, for the most part, a quiet town. That changes on Feb. 2nd when Beth is called to investigate the death of an apparently homeless man who ran into the path of an RV. Wearing raggedy clothes with no buttons or zippers and with only a couple of coins dated in the 1880s in his pockets, Beth can find no evidence of who this man is or was. What’s more, during an apparent electrical storm that same evening that resulted in two separate explosions on nearby military bases, another traveler heading back to LA from Las Vegas seems to simply disappear along with his SUV while in the same area. A few days later, when an old grave is encountered at a nearby construction site, Beth’s investigation takes a wild turn when the construction site body is determined to be that of the missing traveler, but the remains themselves appear to be over 100 years old. Beth continues to investigate the case when she is confronted by the military police and told in no uncertain terms to let it go at the risk of her career and possibly even her life. This one is a roller coaster ride with some incredible twists that will keep you turning pages until the end. A taut thriller that takes the imagination on a wild ride.
Calico by Lee Goldberg, (List Price: $16.99, Severn House, 9781448314560, September 2024)
Reviewed by Brent Bunnell, Fiction Addiction in Greenville, South Carolina