ARC Review: Bury the Past by James L'Etoile

Bury the Past
Author: James L'Etoile
Series: Detective Penley Mystery
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (December 12, 2017)

Description: How do you stop a killer who’s already behind bars?

Sacramento Police Detectives John Penley and Paula Newberry are enlisted to investigate a case involving the trafficking of stolen street drugs. But they quickly find it’s more difficult than they first imagined when the crime is being committed by a group of corrupt cops undermining the system.

That’s not the only wrench thrown at Penley and Newberry, however, as Sherman, the leader of the group, is orchestrating murders against those who testified against him. He turns the lens onto Newberry, who begins to receive blame and as the political pressure mounts, it’s clear someone has to pay for the crimes. And it comes down to Newberry or Sherman.

With a plot full of twisty, hairpin runs and heart-pounding action, Jim L’Etoile’s Bury the Past is a riveting follow-up to the first in the Detective Penley mysteries, At What Cost.

My Thoughts: When John Penley's partner Paula Newberry's past comes back to haunt her, both are on a mission to clear her name. When Paula when in IA she was largely responsible for bringing down a network of corrupt cops who where skimming on drug raids and stashing their drug hauls. Charles Sherman was the leader of the group and is in prison. But now someone is killing all of the other members of the group and someone is framing Paula as the criminal.

Sherman has vowed to get revenge on Paula but, given that he was in the prison mental health unit when the crimes were committed, he couldn't be the criminal, or could he? Unlike the first mystery in this series which focused on Penley and his family, this one puts Paula front and center. Although we do get a look into Penley's family again to see how they are doing after his son's kidney transplant.

Penley and Newberry have to deal with white supremacists, missing drugs, and corrupt law enforcement in order to get to the bottom of this twisty case. It was fast paced and action packed and just great for fans of police procedurals.

Favorite Quote:

"How can anyone believe this shit?"

John knew to keep his mouth shut and let her vent. Stay out of the blast radius.

"The only thing missing in this conspiracy story is that I shot JFK. Break out the tinfoil hats for everyone. Jesus!" She hit the dashboard with a fist.

"That good, huh?"

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.