Good Night, Forever

Fleishman expertly balances brutal crime scenes with poignant observations on love and loss in his excellent third and final novel featuring Det. Sam Carver of the LAPD (after 2020’s Last Dance). One rainy evening, Sam arrives at the home of his lover, police officer Lily Hernandez, expecting to share a quiet dinner with her. Instead, he finds her porch festooned with yellow crime scene tape and patrol cars outside. Lily lies dead from a single gunshot, fired at close range. Written in lipstick on the bathroom mirror are the words: “Hi, Sam. I’m back.” For Sam this can only mean one thing: his nemesis Dylan Cross has returned. Two years earlier, Dylan murdered two men, eluded Sam, and escaped to Europe. Despite his certainty as to Dylan’s guilt, his new partner, Det. Alicia Bryant, believes otherwise. Haunted by Lily’s death and thoughts of what might have been, Sam disobeys orders to stay out of the murder investigation and follows meager clues that lead him to wealthy land developers and a poisonous nest of white supremacists. Intelligent characters, credible situations, and elegant prose: this book has them all. Readers will eagerly await Fleishman’s next. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Apr.)