Lesser Evils

"Transposes the corrupt world of James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential to the Cape Cod of 1957 . . . Ratchets up the suspense to an almost unbearable level" (Publishers Weekly, starred review).When the first young boy goes missing in a quiet Cape Cod town, Bill Warren, who took the job of police chief after returning from World War II, is pulled into a morass that promises no happy ending. As his pursuit uncovers the unimaginable, he is led into a world of criminal conspiracy, a secretive pharmaceutical firm, and an odd local clergyman who may be either a miracle worker or a madman. And while caring for his disabled son, he must fight to maintain control of an investigation in which more and more people-from the state police to the district attorney to a tenacious Boston reporter-are taking a serious interest.As facts become murkier and the threat rises, Warren struggles to survive in a world where the police can be just as corrupt as the criminals they chase, and where a murder inquiry will ultimately lead to his front door."A deftly plotted and perfectly realized crime novel that features one of the most interesting, complex and likable protagonists of recent times." -Stav Sherez, author of Eleven Days"[A] highly impressive debut." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)