SANTA FE PSYCHOSIS

In Talley’s thriller, a private investigator attempting to help an old flame gets caught up in a violent investigation in New Mexico.

Jackson Bardo is a “California private investigator” with a military background. Bardo was a bomb expert in the Iraq War, and he still has a knack for explosives. At the beginning of the story, Bardo is contacted by his ex-girlfriend, Jenny Dawson, who says that she’s in trouble and needs money. Her predicament comes as no surprise to Bardo, as Jenny has shown a “continued reliance on liquor and drugs as she [rushes] toward forty.” Despite some misgivings, Bardo heads to New Mexico to offer his help. But Jenny disappears, and Bardo becomes involved in something much bigger than a favor to a troubled ex-girlfriend. Enter local Santa Fe detective Diego Juarez; Bardo knows Juarez through a mutual acquaintance, and after Juarez helps Bardo out of a sticky situation, the two work together on a case involving the body of a dead girl. The deceased in question happens to have a similar tattoo on her ankle to another girl’s, who is missing. The adventure rolls along quickly as vehicles explode, suspects are interrogated, and bullets fill the air—as one character observes, “New Mexico is still wild country.” Just as it seems things are resolved in this untamed region, the story takes another turn. The plot moves briskly (from Jenny’s predicament to other problems) as various new characters are introduced, including a park ranger who parties with mysterious campers, a first cousin of a district attorney, and the girlfriend of a tattoo artist; keeping track of the many people who come and go is not always easy. Still, the tale delivers quite a punch as Bardo and company storm their way through the Land of Enchantment.

A lively, violent, and enveloping romp in the American Southwest.