City of Saints

Set in 1930, Hunt’s triumphant mystery debut introduces Salt Lake County deputy Art Oveson, a loving family man and committed Mormon. Haunted by the unsolved murder of his father, who was primed to be Salt Lake City’s next police chief, Oveson is finding his way on the job when he gets involved in a complex and politically sensitive homicide. Helen Pfalzgraf, wife of a doctor who’s one of the community’s leading lights, was repeatedly run over by a car. The crime comes in the midst of a heated campaign for sheriff, with the incumbent, Oveson’s boss, eager to stay on the good side of the city’s power brokers by steering the investigation away from Dr. Pfalzgraf. Oveson must walk a fine line to hang onto his much needed job and his professional integrity as the murder inquiry threatens to uncover some very dark secrets. Winner of the 2011 Hillerman Prize, this hard-edged whodunit with echoes of James Ellroy warrants a sequel. Agent: Steve Ross, Abrams Artists. (Nov.)