River of Lies by James L'Etoile Book Review

About the Book:

Detective Emily Hunter must be the voice for the voiceless.

The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. They’re considered undesirable—a nuisance—an eyesore. But when the camps fall victim to a string of devastating arson attacks, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, dive into the investigation and become acquainted with the real people whose lives have been destroyed.

The attacks only begin to draw attention when two of the victims are identified as the city’s former anti-homeless mayor and a camp social worker—but rather than strengthening the push for justice, the movement to completely abolish the camps intensifies.

The investigation becomes politically charged when Emily discovers who stands to gain from burning the homeless out of their shelters. She struggles to balance the high-stakes investigation with caring for her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. The investigation uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth. Can Emily overcome resistance and her personal obstacles to halt the attacks?

My Review:

This is another good police procedure from L'Etoile. Emily is a well crafted police detective. She is known to be outspoken and tenacious in her investigations. She also has to deal with her mother's developing Alzheimer's. Readers are given a good balance of Emily's police work and her personal life. I really like the banter between Emily and her police partner, Javier.

Issues that surface in this novel include prejudice against the homeless and racism. We get a good idea of the politics involved in dealing with the homeless when the land they are on is wanted by high end investors. Some want to discount the homeless but Emily sees them as humans needing justice just like anyone else. There is a twist at the very end I did not see coming at all.

This is the second in a series but this novel reads very well on its own. It is a good novel for readers who like a dedicated police detective and a difficult murder investigation.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of the first in this series, Face of Greed. 

 

About the Author:

James L’Etoile is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, hostage negotiator, facility captain, and director of California’s state parole system, and he uses his twenty-nine years “behind bars” as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. His novels include Dead Drop, Black Label, At What Cost, Bury the Past, and Little River. River of Lies is his latest novel and the second book in the Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Series. L’Etoile lives with his wife outside of Sacramento, California. When he’s not writing, you can find him working with his Corgi therapy dogs.

Oceanview Publishing, 384 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)