A Cry from the Dust

Gwen Marcey was at the top of her field in forensics. After a bout with cancer, being abandoned by her husband and rebellious teenage daughter, Gwen starts a new life in Utah, reconstructing faces from a massacre site where the Mormon fanatics, the Avenging Angels, slaughtered 120 people. As she is finishing up the job, things take a turn for the worse. After she is called on by local police to help in the investigation of a ritualized murder, she discovers a much deeper, much more sinister plot and a rebirth of the Avenging Angels. And she is their next target.

Parks clearly did an extensive amount of research on the Mormon church and its history. As a real-life forensic artist, Parks is able to make Gwen Marcey a very believable character. A Cry from the Dust is a fast-paced novel with a good dose of humor and non-stop suspense and tension. As one mystery is solved, another one crops up to take its place. At times, it can be overwhelming and I found myself longing for a break but for the most part it was enjoyable. I would recommend it to most people who enjoy fast-paced cerebral thriller.