J. J. TABASCO'S DO-IT-YOURSELF DETECTIVE AGENCY

As cartels move into Cancún, Mexico, an apparent serial killer emerges, and a Texas-born detective is hired to investigate in Johnson’s mystery.

JJ Tabasco, a 29-year-old with “a reddish-brown caterpillar crawling across [his] upper lip,” is a “Do-It-Yourself Detective” in Cancún, which means that he tells his clients what to do without doing the work himself, thereby skirting Mexican private-eye licensing laws. Aided by his handsome, amoral junior partner, Jesús María “Jesse” Obregón, and his kind but clumsy pal, Chief of Police Octavio “Tavi” Fuentes, JJ deals with a mystifying series of events. First, the dead body of Jaime Meyer, who hails from a prominent local Jewish family, is found after having been stolen from the morgue. Then Jayde Olivia Blackwood, a “blonde bombshell” with a shot-off pinky, hires JJ and pays a hefty sum to find out who’s following her; soon, three stalkers emerge—including a possible multiple murderer. Meanwhile, Jesse and Tavi’s fellow book club member, real estate agent Inez Jones, tells JJ that she has a feeling that something’s off in Cancún; multiple voodoo dolls left at JJ’s doorstep foreshadow danger. Two cartels attempt to move into town, each hire JJ to find the alleged serial killer, and a race to find a stolen painting by Hernán Cortés grows intense. Over the course of this complicated novel, readers may find it awkward that the mystery is centered on Nahua and Mexican experiences while starring a white protagonist. In addition, JJ’s frequent mentions of women’s attractiveness grows tiring: For example, upon spotting a group of “lovely ladies in small bikinis,” he notes, “I should have been thinking about the case and helping my client, but I was just engaging in sweet lazy voyeurism.” Still, the events of the novel proceed at a lively clip, with JJ’s wry, honest tone enlivening the narrative along the way.

A fast-paced, sensationalist mystery that will entertain fans of the genre, despite a few flaws.