Domestic and social upheaval plague Tucson detective Sarah Burke.
Who would want to murder the Coopers? The inoffensive couple has been married for years. They’re partners in a successful home-supply business (two stores and expanding) and solid citizens, according to everyone. But what at first appeared to be a murder-suicide turns out to be a setup. Now it’s up to Sarah Burke, with 13 years on the force (New River Blues, 2009, etc.), to set matters straight, a task that requires her to deal with non-talking siblings Tom and Nicole; super-efficient store manager Phyllis; and the parties identified only as Cheeks and Tasty Toes on Mr. Cooper’s very private computer. Meanwhile, another case surfaces: Whose bones are those embedded in a cement-filled plastic tub on the other side of the tracks? Sarah’s worried when a snitch ties them to stash-house honchos. In addition, she has her own woes at home now that her household’s expanded to include her boyfriend Will, her stroke-victim mom Aggie and her adopted daughter Denny. A parallel storyline concerns the plight of Mexican illegal Vicky Nuñez, whose several border crossings end in her deportation and her desperation to relocate to Tucson.
Solid procedural fare with perhaps a slight overemphasis on Sarah’s domestic arrangements.
