ARC Review: Calico by Lee Goldberg

Calico
Author: Lee Goldberg
Publication: Severn House; Main edition (November 7, 2023)

Description: From #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg, comes an explosive, page-turning investigative thriller - with a mind-blowing twist.

There's a saying in Barstow, California, a decaying city in the scorching Mojave desert . . .

The Interstate here only goes in one direction: Away.

But it's the only place where ex-LAPD detective Beth McDade, after a staggering fall from grace, could get another badge . . . and a shot at redemption.

Over a century ago, and just a few miles further into the bleak landscape, a desperate stranger ended up in Calico, a struggling mining town, also hoping for a second chance.

His fate, all those years ago, and hers today are linked when Beth investigates an old skeleton dug up in a shallow, sandy grave . . . and also tries to identity a vagrant run-over by a distracted motorhome driver during a lightning storm.

Every disturbing clue she finds, every shocking discovery she makes, force Beth to confront her own troubled past . . . and a past that's not her own . . . until it all smashes together in a revelation that could change the world.

My Thoughts: Beth McDade left the LAPD in disgrace. Now she is working as a detective for the Sheriff's Department in Barstow, California, drinking too much and picking up random first responders for one-night stands.

February 2, 2019, changes things. There was a lightning storm and explosion on the nearby military base. A man runs in from of an RV and is killed. And a man named Owen Slader disappears on his way back to LA from Las Vegas. 

Beth's initial case deals with the man, nicknamed Motor Home Man, who ran out in front of the RV. Not only can he not be identified, he is dressed in clothing out of the 1800s and has diseases also common at that time. The coroner confirms these things which don't really help Beth with the case. She checks with people in the area to see if anyone can identify him. She also visits the recreation of the town of Calico which was a mining town from the 1880s to see if he came from there.

The guy who was involved in the reason Beth left LA in disgrace comes to her about the missing Owen Slader. And when his body is found buried in an old coffin from the 1800s at a construction site, his death becomes her case too. But there are strange things about his body. He was fully skeletonized after only being missing for a few days and tests indicate that he died at least 100 years earlier which adds to the mystery. 

And the local military are quick to cover things up and unusually reticent to share information about what went on the night of February 2. While Beth is dealing with the impossible notion that time travel is involved in these strange occurrences, Owen is making a new life for himself in the 1880s where the chef has some knowledge of what the future will bring and is determined to do nothing that would prevent the birth of his daughter whom he was rushing home to see when swept back in time.

This was an engaging story. I'm not usually a fan of time travel stories but this one worked for me. I liked the action as Beth tries to keep herself and the evidence she has located out of the hands of the military. The car chases were exciting. 

Favorite Quote:

"You don't see the parallels between these two cases?" Amanda marched over to a morgue drawer and pulled out the shelf with Motor Home Man on it.

"Of course, I do," Beth said. "Motor Home Man seems to have stepped out of the 1800s and while Slader stepped into the past, both on the same night and in the same area. But other than that, the cases are entirely different. For one thing, we know how Motor Home Man died."

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