THE DIRTY SOUTH

The 18th novel in Connolly’s Charlie Parker series takes readers back to the beginning of the ex–New York City detective's career as a private eye, finding him “deep in the Dirty South” helping local police investigate horrific murders.

Parker is an unwelcome stranger in a Cargill, Arkansas, diner in 1997. Local cops find him suspicious when he mentions the name of a young black girl whose violent death has been officially deemed accidental. Parker himself has lost a wife and daughter to vicious murders. He's quit the NYPD, and he's on a quest to find the man who killed his family “and tear him apart.” The story’s mood is dark: The local lake named Karagol has water so black “it seemed to consume light,”and it gave its name to nearby Cargill, a dismal town that seems to consume spirit. The police chief decides to accept Parker’s help investigating some obvious murders, to the chagrin of some important, malevolent people. A company named Kovas Industries makes missile components and is considering a major investment in Cargill, which would turn  it into a company town and make certain people rich. The last thing they need is publicity about killings, so they just want the fates of two girls to be “obliterated.” The coroner says they are “poor dead colored girls. That’s not the same thing” as dead girls, suggesting they matter less. And much of the town is angry at the girls for getting themselves killed to begin with. (Yes, what were they thinking?) If they must be deemed murders, one character opines that “it would be best” if a “Negro” were the culprit. But Parker wants to know if it's the same person who killed his family. This is a story populated with richly described characters, be they honorable or slimy, as well as rich descriptions and dialogue. Fast-moving, witty dialogue helps speed this well-plotted yarn to a dramatic conclusion.

A most satisfying read for crime buffs.