From “Dateline” episodes to Netflix miniseries, Americans can’t get enough of true crime, even when the practice of turning real-life tragedies into bingeable entertainment leaves us feeling somewhat queasy. The murky ethics of the true-crime industry are just one of the targets that Duane Swierczynski takes aim at in his new book, CALIFORNIA BEAR. His twisty, engaging and surprisingly heartfelt 11th novel follows a motley group of unlikely investigators as they hunt for a notorious serial killer known as the California Bear. Along the way, it explores police corruption, dysfunctional marriages, and the bond between fathers and daughters.

"...twisty, engaging and surprisingly heartfelt... A less ambitious writer might have built his novel solely around the search for the Bear. But Swierczynski has some tricks up his sleeve that make CALIFORNIA BEAR anything but a straightforward thriller."

Fourteen-year-old Matilda Finnerty, one of the book’s quartet of narrators, isn’t exactly a true-crime diehard. Her path to the California Bear case starts with a different mission entirely. She wants to prove that her just-paroled father, Jack “Killer” Queen, didn’t murder a man. The wise-beyond-her-years Matilda is a surprisingly adept investigator, though her current situation makes uncovering the truth about the crime her father supposedly committed somewhat difficult. She’s confined to a room at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where she’s being treated for leukemia. But before long, “The Girl Detective” (as she’s somewhat distractingly referred to throughout the book) gets pulled into a far more sinister crime involving the search for the Bear.

As Matilda plays sleuth from her hospital bed, her father is adjusting to life on the outside. Jack was sprung from the “grey bar hotel” on a technicality, thanks to the efforts of feckless ex-cop Cato Hightower. But Hightower’s assistance comes at a price. He wants Jack to help him with his plan to extort Christopher Albin Dixon, a fellow former police officer whom Hightower is convinced is the Bear. The bumbling, chaotic Hightower might be a hopeless drunk on a quest to make a quick buck. But he’s in possession of what he thinks is solid evidence that proves Dixon is guilty, thanks to his wife, Jeanie, a genealogical researcher. (Yes, her nickname is Gene Jeanie, in a nod to the David Bowie song.)

Starting in the late ’70s, the Bear stalked the streets of Los Angeles, raping and murdering women in their homes. But in the early ’80s, he suddenly went dormant. The Bear’s “star has faded a little” over the past four decades, especially in comparison to more notorious killers like Richard Ramirez and the Hillside Strangler. But he is still very much alive and is now ready to come out of retirement. As he surveys his collection of souvenirs from past crimes, he wonders, “Was this actually him, once upon a time, or was it just an extremely vivid dream that he never managed to shake? More importantly: Could he become the Bear again?”

A less ambitious writer might have built his novel solely around the search for the Bear. But Swierczynski has some tricks up his sleeve that make CALIFORNIA BEAR anything but a straightforward thriller. For one, the Bear’s story is far more complicated than it seems at first, in part because of his involvement with a Hollywood producer who plans to make a docuseries about him that takes “the idea of a true crime reenactment to the next level.” There’s plenty of dark humor on display, starting with the memorable opening sentence: “The California Bear, a serial torturer-murderer who had eluded justice for close to four decades, wanted a cookie.” Squeamish readers also will appreciate that despite the Bear’s grisly crimes, the depictions of violence are mild.

While the hunt for the killer will keep people turning the pages, the book’s emotional core lies in Jack’s relationship with Matilda. All this ex-con wants is to make sure his daughter is safe and healthy, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen. Matilda’s concern for her dad is equally touching. The sections describing her cancer treatments have a particularly vivid resonance. In an afterword, Swierczynski reveals that the whip-smart, wisecracking teen is inspired by his own daughter Evie, who died in 2018, just months after she was diagnosed with cancer. CALIFORNIA BEAR seems like a worthy tribute.