Precinct Puerto Rico (Luis Gonzalo)

While Sheriff Luis Gonzalo of Angustias and his wife are visiting her family in Rincón, a boat filled with Dominican illegal immigrants crashes near a local beach. Even though he is out of his jurisdiction, Gonzalo rushes to the scene to help search for survivors. One body among the dozens on the beach catches his attention. The young man's fatal injury appears to be the result of murder. Before Gonzalo can do anything about it, a police sergeant arrives and orders him to leave. Soon Gonzalo begins to receive telephone threats against his family. When he tries to find out more about the dead man, he discovers that the body is not among those taken to any of the morgues. Gonzalo has unknowingly stumbled onto a conspiracy involving police corruption. He must work fast to identify and capture the conspirators before he, his family, or his deputies come to harm.

The unusual Puerto Rican setting initially drew me to this series. Gonzalo and his family will have me coming back for more. Gonzalo is a good man who loves his family, cares about his co-workers, takes his responsibilities seriously, and tries not to allow his years in law enforcement to harden him. That won't be easy after the events of this book, which resulted in more than enough physical violence and serious injuries to haunt its witnesses for the rest of their lives. The denouement is the book's main weakness. The suspense built nicely toward a final confrontation, but the ending was flat. The author allowed readers inside the hero's head throughout most of the book, then left us to observe the after-effects from outside. I hope this is just first novel awkwardness that won't affect future books in the series. ( )