Not Dead Enough

Mississippi sheriff Colt Harper has his loyalties tested in the standout third series entry from Thompson (after 2020’s Old Anger). When two fishermen discover a rotting corpse with a bullet wound in the back of its head, Harper is called to the scene. The murder victim is quickly IDed as California resident Lamont Lamb, thanks to the driver’s license in his wallet. Harper and his deputy, Molly McDonough, set out to learn more about Lamb, what he was doing in Mississippi, and whether the shooting might be the work of the same person who recently attacked and robbed two other local men. The inquiry gets more complicated when a records check reveals that Lamb belonged to an L.A. street gang and had a lengthy rap sheet, including arrests for drug dealing and assault. As Harper investigates further, he slowly comes to suspect that the crime spree might be the work of his former Marine colleague Flip Wilson. Flashbacks to the first Gulf War flesh out Colt and Flip’s relationship, helping piece together Flip’s potential motives in the present. Admirers of S.A. Cosby and Ace Atkins will appreciate Thompson’s combination of hardboiled crime tropes and psychological depth. (Dec.)