EVERYBODY KNOWS, a noir thriller set in sunny Los Angeles, is narrated from the alternating perspectives of Mae Pruett and Chris Tamburro. Though they once dated, Mae and Chris haven’t seen each other in years --- until their paths cross as each tries to solve the same mystery.

Mae’s boss, Dan --- a PR strategist charged with protecting celebrity clients from their own misdeeds --- has been gunned down, and Mae thinks she knows why. Chris, an ex-cop, has been hired to find out if the perps are still playing on the same team as his clients. Once they decide to join forces, it’s pretty clear that this won’t remain a strictly professional partnership. And soon it becomes even clearer that whoever killed Dan won’t let Mae and Chris disrupt their plans.

"EVERYBODY KNOWS is one of those admirable genre novels that sets the scene and allows readers to watch as the pieces first explode and then fall into place. Harper manages our expectations expertly."

There are a few rules that Dan enunciated early on in the book, the most memorable of which are “Nobody talks, but everybody whispers” and “Keep as much as possible UNSAID.”

No one in EVERYBODY KNOWS is innocent, but while some, like Mae and Chris, are simply exploiting opportunities, others are pure evil. There’s a strong correlation between wealth and power, and unabashed iniquity. But there’s always a lawyer, security firm or publicist to clean up the mess. The ones who suffer are those who won’t bend to the power, and they suffer in horrific --- and graphic --- ways.

Every page of this book is calibrated to deliver insights into its characters and extravagant plot turns. As the story progresses, the divide between the good guys and the black hats becomes more evident, but author Jordan Harper never lets us forget how relative those sides are. In the end, there is no guarantee that the good side will win, but there is also no question that readers are rooting for the “gooder” guys. That the setting is LA (an opening scene takes place at the Chateau Marmont) is the perfect metaphor: beautiful on the outside, corroded underneath.

EVERYBODY KNOWS is one of those admirable genre novels that sets the scene and allows readers to watch as the pieces first explode and then fall into place. Harper manages our expectations expertly. The result is both impressive and haunting.