Editorial Content for River of Lies
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
FACE OF GREED launched James L'Etoile’s Detective Emily Hunter series. Sacramento detectives Hunter and Javier Medina return in the most intriguing police procedural mystery I’ve enjoyed in a decade. Witty, realistic banter amongst the detectives adds flavor and softens the harsh reality of homeless camps, “[a] community trying to make a safe refuge in a sea of hostility.”
"The plot has more twists and turns than a California cloverleaf, and the asteroid impact-like conclusion will stun readers."
Hunter is dealing with her mom’s memory issues and trying to relocate her to a suitable care facility, when she’s summoned to a fatal fire with mass casualties in a homeless camp at Sacramento River. One singed body has a deep gash in the head but sports expensive garb: former Mayor John Stone. Clinging to life is burn victim Lisa Larkin, whose young daughter, Willow, is found hiding near the river.
The detective duo arrives the next morning to find the crime scene bulldozed into a slash pile, an order from City Hall. The body of a social worker is found in that heap of demolished tents and shelters, the third homeless camp razed in two weeks.
Hunter’s homicide investigation encounters political pushback from current mayor Ellen Carsten’s henchman, Ryan Jensen. The homeless sites had been located on city-owned property --- land-approved to build condo complexes. Hunter follows the money trail into a virtual rabbit warren of suspects, clues and dead ends. She and Medina had “burned the better part of the day, taffy-pulling a confession from a” suspect.
The plot has more twists and turns than a California cloverleaf, and the asteroid impact-like conclusion will stun readers. The French word l’étoile translates to “the star” in English. That, the author certainly is. Five stars for RIVER OF LIES.
Teaser
When the homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento 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. It uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth.
Promo
When the homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento 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. It uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth.
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?
