Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Desolation Canyon by PJ Tracy Narrator: Abby Craden
Published by MacMillan Audio on January 18, 2022
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Length: 7 hours, 55 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: NetGalley
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LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is struggling to move forward after the death of her brother in Afghanistan and taking a life in the line of duty. Her stoic parents offer little support – they refuse to address anything difficult, and she’s afraid their relationship is eroding beyond the point of recovery.
The days off are the hardest, because they give Margaret time to think. A moment of weakness leads to cocktails with a colleague—an attraction she knows could be dangerous —at the luxurious Hotel Bel-Air bar. A stroll through the grounds leads to a grim discovery beneath the surface of Swan Lake: the body of a successful attorney who made his fortune in international trade.
It initially appears to be death by misadventure, but the case is anything but straightforward. As a series of shocking revelations emerge, Nolan finds herself confronting a sinister cabal that just might destroy her and everyone she loves.
One of my readers recommended this author and a different series of theirs. PJ Tracy is actually a mother-daughter team, but it looks like now the daughter is the one writing this newer Detective Margaret Nolan series. When I saw Desolation Canyon, it was only the second in the series. I grabbed the first book Deep into the Dark from the library and went right on to this book, minutes after finishing.
Detective Nolan, along with her partner, is sort of a main character, with supporting characters in her friends, family and love interests. But there is also Sam Easton, who is equally important, along with the people in his life. It feels just a little weird that the series is named after her when she is half or less of the focus.
I enjoy police procedurals so this was a style I am comfortable reading. Sam came into the series as a suspect or at the least a witness, when his wife is murdered in the first book. Both Margaret and Sam are having serious personal issues to battle. Margaret lost her brother recently; he was in the military. Sam was also in the military, having lost much of his team and suffering physical injuries.
The murdered guy has a masked life hiding his connection to a whole other world with Russians, child trafficking, drugs and plenty of other illegal enterprises. Of course, his actual work and colleagues are investigated which is dangerous and horrifying as various aspects are revealed. Then it gets connected to their personal lives and is all the more complex.
I appreciate stories with layers of character developments and progression in both their professional and personal lives, along with a mystery and police investigation. I had all those in a slightly different style so that was intriguing. I definitely plan to read more as the series is released.
Narration:
I have listened to Abby Craden but it has been quite awhile ago. It took me a bit to settle into her performance but I did and was happy with her character voices. I listened comfortably at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About PJ Tracy
PJ Tracy is the pseudonym of the mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book Awards. Their cyberthriller “Monkeewrench” series (Monkeewrench, Live Bait, Dead Run, Snow Blind, Shoot to Thrill, Off the Grid, The Sixth Idea, and Nothing Stays Buried) were national and international bestsellers. After PJ’s passing in 2016, Traci wrote two more books in the Monkeewrench series (The Guilty Dead and Ice Cold Heart), and the psychological thriller Deep into the Dark, which is set in Los Angeles, where she lived for many years. She now resides in Minnesota and continues to write about murder and mayhem.
P.J. Lambrecht
P.J. Lambrecht always loved to tell people she was a college dropout and had no qualifications for being a writer except for a penchant for lying. She had her first short story published in The Saturday Evening Post when Traci was eight, still mercifully oblivious to her mother’s plans to eventually trick her into creating a family business.
Traci Lambrecht
Traci Lambrecht spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses. She graduated with a Russian Studies major from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she also studied voice. Her aspirations of becoming a spy were dashed when the Cold War ended, so she began writing to finance her annoying habits of travel and singing in rock bands. Much to her mother’s relief, she finally realized that the written word was her true calling. Together, they had a long, prolific career writing together in many genres until PJ’s passing in December 2016. Traci continues to write like a maniac, with PJ’s spirit sitting on her shoulder, cracking wise.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 22-COYER
Love the sound of this, and I love that it takes place near me, that’s always fun to read about😁
I agree. I love to read books set in places I have lived.
I haven’t read any books by these authors, but I’ve several of them on my TBR list for years. I really need to give them a try this year!
I want to read the original series as well.
I’m a fan of the original writing team’s Monkeewrench series, especially on audio. I have this and the first one in the series and am trying to fit them in. Excellent review, Anne💜 FYI, the mother died last year so daughter is now writing solo.
yes I knew the mother died last year. I want to read the original series and would probably love audio but so far have found only ebook at the library but I haven’t taken the time to look at all my libraries.
I really enjoyed the early Monkeewrench series books and was so sad when Patricia passed away. I didn’t know Traci had started another series. This does sound good and I am glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you Wendy. I want to read that original series. I think this one is well worth a try.
Another author/pair of authors for me to try. I like the layered development in mysteries, too.
It definitely has layers and different groupings of characters. I am liking it.
Cool that it’s written by a mother-daughter team!
It’s been a mother / daughter team but the mother died last year.
Oh it looks quite good and it’s the first time I hear about this one!
I have enjoyed it. It’s a bit more than just a police procedural.
what a gorgeous cover. would make me want to grab it regardless, though mysteries are some of my favorite reading
I agree Sherry. I was thinking this morning about how much I like the cover.
I have read some of the books written under this name when both authors were still writing. I do enjoy the writing style so I will have to keep this one in mind. Great review!
This is also the second book in a new series. I grabbed the first one from the library to read before this one. I really liked it.
Sounds like a great read and it’s so interesting that the character the series is named after seems to not really be the main focus. I wonder if her role will grow in later books.
I’ve seen that a few other times and then the series name changes or it breaks into 2 series. I like the diversity of character POVs.