DESERT FIRE

In Perry’s debut novel set in the late 1970s, a journalist searching for a former lover is wrongfully accused of serious crimes.

As this story opens, newly single Jeff Kain is speeding through the California desert to a job in Palm Springs, but he makes time to stop to pick up hitchhiker Elyse Walker and her fiercely loyal dog, Tramp. Along the way, they take in some sights, namely Joshua Tree National Park, and strike up an intimate romance. Elyse initially sticks around in Palm Springs, but as Jeff settles into his news editor gig, she decides to move on to Los Angeles. Time passes, but Jeff can’t get her off his mind, and when he can’t track her down himself, he hires private investigator Aloysius Vega to do so. The PI does locate her, but it’s clear that Elyse doesn’t want Jeff on her trail: “Jeff needs to understand that he needs to stay away for both our sakes,” she says. “I don’t want him to call me or look for me again.” Her menacing boyfriend also wants Jeff to back off. Before long, authorities have turned their attention to Jeff, as it certainly appears that he’s a stalker. Later, there’s a startling assault and a person goes missing, and Jeff, despite his innocence, is sure to become a suspect. Perry’s measured thriller aptly establishes Jeff and Elyse’s relationship early on. Readers will understand why Jeff yearns to reunite with her, though they may find his preoccupation with her somewhat unnerving. The story’s latter half becomes an effective slow-burn mystery, as Elyse’s murky past comes to light and more than one character turns up dead. Standouts among the stellar supporting cast include ever protective Tramp as well as refreshingly blunt Vega, who headlines Perry’s subsequent novels, including The Gimlet Eye (2021). Arresting details of California scenery likewise invigorate the narrative, whether it’s the barren Mojave Desert or raging wildfires: “As tall Ponderosa and sugar pine trees were engulfed, embers from their crowns, propelled by Santa Ana winds, ignited the next patch of forest.”

A well-developed cast drives a quiet but absorbing thriller.