A Distant Grave

In the teasing prologue of Taylor’s strong sequel to 2020’s The Mountains Wild, an unnamed man waits near Long island’s Great South Bay for an unidentified woman. He has an important story to tell her. She never appears, and the man’s shot to death. The curiosity of homicide detective Maggie D’arcy of the Suffolk County PD is aroused by scars on the dead man’s back that suggest he was tortured in the past. Eventually, he’s identified as Gabriel Treacy, a Dublin resident who worked for an international aid organization. Treacy got the back injuries during his time with another NGO in Afghanistan in 2011, six years earlier, after he was kidnapped and held for ransom. D’arcy gets permission to travel to Ireland to learn more about Treacy, believing that his death wasn’t just the result of a robbery gone wrong, despite his wallet and phone being stolen. A second murder of someone linked to Treacy deepens the puzzle. Taylor’s adept at balancing plot and plausible characterizations. Tana French fans will be eager for the next series entry. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management. (June)