"A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun" by David Putnam

Dave Beckett book #2

With a tone of a cop on the beat this second book continues the day to day life of officer not like any others. He acts and thinks in ways no one can predict and by doing so gets himself in trouble with his superior Lieutenant Cordova whom he loves to call Lieutenant Cordoba to annoy him. Taken from his life experiences the author does marvel in creating scenes and doesn’t hold back. Through the eyes and voice of Beckett we are treated with the perspective of a patrol officer. The first person narrative works perfectly here.

This novel is split in two parts: one is set in 1984 when Beckett was a patrol officer and the second part in 1988 when he was promoted to bone detective. For those hating dual time this story is easy to follow.

The plot is slow moving and it takes a while before action sets in but when the upper crust takes revenge and assign Beckett on “bone cases” way out in the dessert it is the just punishment they take pleasure in giving him....but when the bone found turnout to be one of their own...Beckett goes to no end to find the killer. Then the action picks up and this mystery turns out to be an exiting ride till the end.

What a gritty police adventure this novel turned out to be. I enjoyed the writing style although it took awhile to get used to it but at the end my mind was tuned in and I enjoyed the unpredictable drama this “whodunit” mystery provided. Well-done.

My thanks to the publisher Level Best Books and Netgalley for this ARC