The Burning Plain

Tight thriller which makes you want to drop everything and just read. The stakes are extremely high and more than once I wanted to reach into the book and kick someone's ass! The problem? Well, the ending (and "resolution") is so shitty and depressing. The sadistic killer pretty much gets away (not really, but his punishment is slight), the raped kid goes to Jesus, and Josh's parents still hate Rios. One would think that Nava wanted to give us some kind of positive slant, but there's no redemption to be had.

Michael Nava wrote a series of legal/mystery novels featuring Henry Rios that are wonderful and then he quit. For years. And then last year he brought Henry back and again this year and I'm so glad. Henry is a lawyer in Los Angeles. He's Hispanic and he's gay and he's so very human. The Burning Plan centers around gay bashing but with a twist. The story is gripping and the characters are both real and fascinating. I sure hope Henry is back to stay.

The darkest of the mysteries, with the most troubling aspects and unsettling end. But Nava is maturing as a writer, and this is the best in the series so far.

The darkest and bleakest novel in the series yet. Henry faces life after Josh's death. He stumbles into a web of intrigue, violence, deception and power. Caught between his grief and being accused of murder, Henry makes his way through darkness. This is not a happy book but it is Nava's most important plot, he doesn't cut corners, doesn't cheat on the bleak outcome. It's a hard read but a good one. Most definitely 3 1/2 stars.