A Murder in Zion

This promising series opener from Maggi (The Forgetting) centers on Emmeline “Emme” Helliwell, a special agent with the investigative branch of the National Parks Service. At the outset, Emme is feeling untethered: her mother has just died, her archeologist sister is halfway around the world on a dig, and her most recent case resulted in the death of a young woman named Hannah DeLeo. She’s so distraught that she gives her boss, Stace Pompey, two weeks’ notice. Soon after, investigators find a body in Zion National Park, and Stace asks Emme to look into it. The victim turns out to be Emme's high school friend, Max Kerchek, and she considers delaying her retirement until she finds justice. When another body turns up, and Emme learns that both deaths have links to the Hannah DeLeo case, she becomes obsessed, launching an investigation that leads her to a violent cult in the nearby town of Redwater. Against the stunning backdrop of southern Utah, Maggi unspools an intricate whodunit with a memorable cast whom readers will hope to meet again. It’s a winner. Agent: Anne Tibbets, Donald Maas Literary. (Mar.)