Written in Blood

Joe “Preach” Everson moves to his small hometown and takes a job as police detective. He had suffered a breakdown in Atlanta after working a serial-murder case that was the most horrific of his career. It should be a quiet place to spend his time, but a murder occurs and Preach is put in charge of the investigation. The owner of a bookstore is not only found dead, but the crime scene echos the murder in Crime and Punishment. When a local author is found a short time later in a scene that mimics a scene from “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” Preach realizes he has a serial killer on his hands. With the help of a beautiful woman who works at the bookstore, Ari, who knows her literature, Preach starts to untangle the clues left by the literary killer.

This smart mystery by Layton Green has more than enough bad guys and murders and suspects and red herrings to keep any mystery fan happy. The characters are interesting and credible with great backstories. The small-town setting works so well for this particular story. The writing is crisp and this is a real page-turner.