Lesser Evils, Flanagan Joe

Transposes the corrupt world of James Ellroys L.A. Confidential to the Cape Cod of 1957 . . . Ratchets up the suspense to an almost unbearable level (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

When the first young boy goes missing in a quiet Cape Cod town, Bill Warren, who took the job of police chief after returning from World War II, is pulled into a morass that promises no happy ending. As his pursuit uncovers the unimaginable, he is led into a world of criminal conspiracy, a secretive pharmaceutical firm, and an odd local clergyman who may be either a miracle worker or a madman. And while caring for his disabled son, he must fight to maintain control of an investigation in which more and more people--from the state police to the district attorney to a tenacious Boston reporter--are taking a serious interest.
As facts become murkier and the threat rises, Warren struggles to survive in a world where the police can be just as corrupt as the criminals they chase, and where a murder inquiry will ultimately lead to his front door.

A deftly plotted and perfectly realized crime novel that features one of the most interesting, complex and likable protagonists of recent times. --Stav Sherez, author of Eleven Days

A] highly impressive debut. --Publishers Weekly (starred review)