COSPLAY

Two newly partnered Texas detectives clash when investigating unexplained deaths in this thriller.

Selma Cibolo earns her detective rank after only two years on the police force. It’s an impressive feat, but that doesn’t make San Antonio detective Thornton Nix any less resistant to being her partner. In the seasoned cop’s archaic mindset, she’s a “Barbie doll in a cop outfit” who can’t handle the job. One of their first cases together involves a body in a dumpster. Cibolo recognizes the victim’s unique costume as Evie Frye’s—a character from a popular online video game. She suspects a link to the Comic-Con that was just in town, a theory that Nix immediately dismisses. He doesn’t even think it’s a homicide but rather some sort of accidental death. Yet Cibolo keeps digging and unearths other “Evies” who died during Comic-Cons, including one in another state. As the detective tries deciphering how someone could grab a cosplayer in the midst of a crowded venue, Cibolo concocts a risky plan that puts her on the heels of a dangerous, twisted killer. Lee masterfully balances a procedural with a suspense-laden exploration of a murderer. For example, readers get glimpses of the killer’s frighteningly meticulous plotting. There’s also a focus on the legendary Spring-Heeled Jack, the star of a video game (based on a real-life game with a few altered details), who’s tied to the villain’s unnerving psychosis. The only drawback is that the story could have used more scenes with the razor-sharp Cibolo, whose investigation takes her to Denver, a Comic-Con, and a memorably creepy barn. While Nix’s refusal to support Cibolo’s smart hunch makes him seem dense, he eventually proves to be more than a one-dimensional sexist cop. The author’s unadorned but effective prose fuels the relatively short novel all the way to the exciting final act and an ending that hints at a sequel.

This engaging murder mystery pits a remarkable hero against a formidable killer.