Overview

Mix the western setting of C. J. Box’s Joe Pickett with the noir tropes of Raymond Chandler and the humor of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, and you get this witty, thrilling mystery fueled by diverse characters and set against the stunning backdrop of the Arizona desert. Nick Cameron is a PhD geologist of independent means who boxes for fun, packs a Colt Commander, and has a knack for finding bodies—dead and alive. When an agate heiress arrives in Quartzrock, Arizona, on the eve of a gem show, she asks Nick for help selling some gemstones—and soon becomes a suspect in the bizarre murders of two prominent lapidaries. Stalked by the mysterious killer, she and Nick dodge police while Nick works with his friend Frankie Benally—a Navajo jewelry artist and brilliant armchair detective—to unravel the case. But even Frankie is stumped—until, at an isolated hacienda deep in the Sonoran desert, Nick meets the great-granddaughter of a soldadera who served with Pancho Villa’s División del Norte. Along the way, Nick gets help from an old-fashioned gentleman sheriff, a crusty army retiree, and a clutch of feisty dames. He navigates plot twists and red herrings that would make Sam Spade reach for the aspirin. And he does it all with deadpan humor that’ll make you spit up your bourbon.

Full Product Details

9781684632886

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Reviews

“Terret works in a grinning, self-aware register, piling on red herrings and suspects to deliriously entertaining effect… noir fans will hope for a sequel.”—Publishers Weekly

“An engaging mix of humor, mystery, history, and geologic curiosities.”—Kirkus Reviews “Terret works in a grinning, self-aware register, piling on red herrings and suspects to deliriously entertaining effect… noir fans will hope for a sequel.”—Publishers Weekly

Author Information

Logan Terret grew up in Northern Michigan but has lived in the Southwest for the last twenty years. Formerly the chief software architect for one of America’s largest financial firms, he is now retired and devotes himself to desert wanderings, mystery novels, machine learning, dog walking, and other pursuits. He is an inventor and licensed attorney. He lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

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