THE EASTER MURDERS

An unconventional detective hunts for a killer among the churches of New Orleans in Zappa’s latest police procedural.

Detective Lt. Jo Crowder and Detective Sgt. Sid Steele catch a murder case in the middle of Easter Weekwhen the body of young girl is found dumped on the steps of St. Stephan’s Cathedral, one of the oldest and most venerated churches for the 3.5 million Catholics who call the Big Easy home. The head of the city’s Violent Crime and Homicide Division, Frank O’Malley, reflects glumly on the fact that his town is statistically “the fourth most dangerous city in which to live and visit,” but he knows that 36-year-old Crowder will get results. She not only has degrees in criminal justice and forensic science; she’s also an expert marksman, has black belts in judo and karate, and has the highest case-closure rate in the department by far. In addition, she’s completely consumed by her job: “she ate it, drank it, and lived it day and night. It made her irrepressible, confident and bold.” She and Steele, her partner of three years, begin sifting clues and sorting suspects, but the process is unexpectedly complicated by an unstable copycat who is all too eager to confess to the crime; they must also deal with the machinations of scheming District Attorney Max Hellman, “an arrogant, self-centered, showboat opportunist” who manages to thwart their work at every turn. Police finally apprehend a solid-looking suspect named Miguel Diaz, but Crowder’s instincts are telling her that they have the wrong man.

Zappa assembles relatively standard crime-thriller elements in a satisfying manner that will appeal to fans of Ed McBain or Jeffery Deaver’s sturdy procedurals. Crowder is clearly the star of the show here; indeed, the author doesn’t bother to restrain his own admiration for his hero. She can be short-tempered and doesn’t suffer fools gladly, but she’s otherwise essentially perfect, resembling the older-and-wiser version of FBI agent Clarice Starling in Thomas Harris’ 1999 thriller sequel, Hannibal. Religious elements play a key role in the narrative, as Crowder’s suspicions quickly fall on a respected churchman of New Orleans—an explosive development that could easily get her cashiered if it misfires; the fact that she’s an agnostic working a religiously charged case makes the situation even more delicate. Zappa beautifully captures these multifaceted tensions in a way that keeps the story moving along at an easy clip. However, the prose shows a decided weakness for cop-show cliches; for instance, does anyone actually say “Bingo” when figuring something out, as fictional cops often do? Habitual readers of police thrillers will undoubtedly have plenty of patience when the story introduces a crusty coroner or when Crowder advises Steele to “Think outside the box,” but such moments still manage to feel like unnecessary filler. The book’s climax, by contrast, is a marvel of suspenseful precision, and the key confrontation at the story’s conclusion will have readers holding their breath.

A twisty and highly readable thriller that’s occasionally hampered by cop-fiction clichés.