GRAVE CONSEQUENCES

A valuable item in a pawnshop provides a motive for murder.

Former Army Ranger Charlie Henry and his best friend, Gordon Sweeney, own Albuquerque’s FOB Pawn Shop. When a Navajo man comes in looking to redeem a squash blossom necklace he claims his girlfriend pawned, they refuse him because he doesn’t have the ticket. A little later he comes back with several heavily armed friends, but the duo, forewarned by security cameras, fight them off, killing one and wounding another. Charlie is surprised to learn that his brother, Al, a tribal police officer, is working on the same case. The necklace belonged to Cordell Buck, a famous Navajo silversmith who was murdered and buried with his creation. Alas, Buck wasn’t allowed to rest in peace. His grave was dug up, his body burned, and his necklace stolen. Al’s gone undercover trying to get in with a gang of carjackers known as the Night Crew while also looking for Buck’s killer. Charlie and Gordon, who’ve worked with the police before (The Pawnbroker, 2014, etc.), set out to find Lola Tso, who originally pawned the necklace. The gang soon notices their activities and makes several attempts on their lives as they trace its ties to a restaurant owner and his mother, who used to be influential on the Navajo council. The more Charlie and Gordon find out, the more desperate the thieves are to kill them, until even their friends and family are caught up in the danger.

A fast-paced thriller that’s not very mysterious but has plenty of local color.