ARC Review: City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy

City of Secrets
Author: P. J. Tracy
Series: The Detective Margaret Nolan Series (Book 4)
Publication: Minotaur Books (August 20, 2024)

Description: LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan returns in P. J. Tracy’s City of Secrets, the next book in the series praised by the New York Times Book Review: “Tracy seems to have found her literary sweet spot.”

Los Angeles Police Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner have worked a lot of different cases, ones where things aren’t always as they appear. And it’s Nolan’s job to find the truth in the darkness around her. When they’re called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, Nolan soon realizes her victim was a founder of a company about to sell for millions, and within a day of his death, his partner’s wife is abducted. As Nolan learns more about the victim and his life, she gets pulled into a disturbing world of sex, violence, and big business; and an even darker world, where whispers of an "Angel of Death" are beginning to surface.

One of today's finest crime writers, P. J. Tracy has created a series that is a rich and authentic portrait of LA, filled with the tragedy and optimism of her multi-layered characters and a story guaranteed to keep readers enthralled.

My Thoughts: Margaret Nolan and her partner are called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, but things aren't adding up. The victim is Bruce Messane, the owner of a multi-million-dollar pet food company that is on the verge of being sold for a huge sum. The neighborhood isn't one where that man would normally be found. 

Then, Bruce's former partner Rome Bechtold's wife is kidnapped. And shortly thereafter Rome is kidnapped too. 

Meanwhile, Nolan boyfriend Remy, who is also a homicide detective, is dealing with the self-inflicted death of a former plastic surgeon who lost his job for selling opioids. The dead plastic surgeon was a friend of Bruce Messane. 

This twisty thriller, told from multiple viewpoints, was a fast-paced story. I liked the way the various viewpoints came together to tell the story. I also liked that gritty nature of the story where drugs and crime were rife and where sometimes the police looked the other way in the name of justice.  

Favorite Quote:

Nolan scrolled through the Google search on her phone. What did cops do before smart phones and car computers? Unfortunately, the crime rate always seemed to pace advancements in technology, and the game of whack-a-mole continued as it always had. There was a conspiracy theory in there somewhere. 

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