L A detective Mike Flynn is diagnosed with terminal cancer and commits suicide in his
backyard. In his farewell letter to his wife Maggie, a documentary filmmaker, he asks her
to find Jesus Ramon. Jesus, a teenager, was in a gang and was his snitch. Jesus disappeared
on a day in downtown L A ten years ago. Mike has never given up trying to find him. He warns
her that "people don't want this case reopened."
Maggie starts hunting for Jesus and decides to turn it into a documentary. She finds help
from some of Mike's former colleagues, and resistance from others. Her investigations stir
up unsolved killings as well as Jesus’ disappearance, threatening her life.
In the Guise of Mercy is full of twists and turns. The reader is never certain
who the bad guys are. There is much information showing how documentaries are made. The
Santa Monica area is presented with its barrios, its homeless residents and its gangs.
This is a fast moving and exciting novel.
Recommended.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
In
the Guise of Mercy #6
The
Paramour’s Daughter #7
The
Color of Light #9