TEMPER'S CHOICE

DeGrandpre’s small-town police procedural centers on an unusual suspect.

Deputy Leia Temper of the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Department in Colorado is tasked with a variety of responsibilities, and whether she’s responding to a wildfire or looking for a missing girl, trouble is sure to follow. One of her cases involves the disappearance of 15-year-old Linda Reo. Linda (aka the Cinnamon Girl “after a witness described her reddish-brown hair as cinnamon-colored”) seems to have vanished without a trace in a wildlife area known as Sands Lake. Leia and Sheriff Tom Early are called to Sands Lake with reports of someone suspicious carrying a camera; they find an accountant named Michael Vogel who is indeed taking pictures, but he seems to be nothing more than a harmless nature photographer. Later, Michael is assaulted. He winds up in the hospital with a head injury and memory lapses. Oddly, nothing has been taken from him—not even his camera. Michael has a hard time recalling exactly who he is, and when he looks at what’s on his camera, he’s horrified to discover questionable photos of small children. Did he really take those pictures? Could he really be a predator? Michael’s problem is certainly an intriguing one—what to do when you discover that you may be a monster? Michael is not particularly likable or unlikable, and readers must continue turning the pages to find out what the man is all about. Meanwhile, Leia exchanges gunfire with bad guys and tries to put the pieces together. It all makes for an engrossing yarn, but some instances of repeated information chafe; for instance, readers already know why Leia and Tom are at Sands Lake when they explain, “Somebody made a complaint about someone suspicious in the area. They mentioned a man with a camera.” This is a minor quibble; the novel succeeds as a fascinating exploration of guilt that transcends the typical crime story.

A unique, enticing angle on a missing persons case that will keep readers guessing.