A LONESOME BLOOD-RED SUN, the second entry in the Bone Detective series, follows 2022’s A FEARSOME MOONLIGHT BLACK and once again features Detective Dave Beckett. The author, David Putnam, may be best known for his Bruno Johnson novels. At first glance, this book appears to be somewhat in the vein of Carol O’Connell’s BONE BY BONE, but there are more thriller overtones than psychological suspense.

"Overused terms like ratchet, rollercoaster, gripping and action-packed all fail to adequately describe this phenomenal thriller."

Beckett colors outside police procedural lines when it suits him, somewhat like Sheriff Tate in TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. Tate tells Atticus Finch that Bob Ewell fell on his own knife to prevent dragging Boo Radley “with his shy ways into the limelight.”

The first half brings readers up to speed regarding Beckett’s career and life, as well as tyro deputy-detective wannabe Judith “Jimmie” Poe. Both carry more baggage than a major airline. Readers learn of Beckett reuniting with his long-absent dad, being separated from the wife he still loves, and a boozehound colleague who unsuccessfully hides in a bottle from the memory of a horrific multiple homicide-suicide. Despite many times splattering himself with a mess of his own creation, Beckett has a sixth sense about criminals, like, “What’s wrong with this picture?”

In the second half, the messes Beckett creates cause him to be (ahem) promoted to the venue of Bone Detective, crudely referred to by his peers as “The Bone Dick.” He scours San Bernardino County’s 20,000 square miles of deserts, where bodies were stashed. Beckett finds partial skeletal remains and paints a picture of the victim’s last day alive. Forensics is a special talent for a cop who has only a bag of bones for evidence.

Many of the action scenes may seem incredible but are based on real-life incidents in Putnam’s extensive law enforcement career. Overused terms like ratchet, rollercoaster, gripping and action-packed all fail to adequately describe this phenomenal thriller. Those seeking an over-the-top police procedural will find it in A LONESOME BLOOD-RED SUN.