DIRTY HOLY WATER

Gil Andrews, chief of police for Mercado, New Mexico, appears at Sara Almquist’s door in the gated community of La Bendita, and she sees immediately that something is amiss. She and Gil worked together on a drug gang bust that is about to come to trial. Sara is the feds’ most credible witness. But Gil’s questions are not those of a colleague. He finally reveals that Lurleen Jansen, Sara’s friend and former neighbor, has been brutally slashed to death. Lurleen’s daughter, Mitzi, who called the police after discovering her mother’s body, has implied that Sara might be involved in the death. Sara was with the woman the previous day, driving her to New Mexico’s El Santuario de Chimayó pilgrimage site, where Lurleen could obtain some “holy dirt” to help her grandson. Naturally, Sara ultimately is brought in to help with the investigation. As the narrative unspools, readers learn just how desperately dysfunctional the Jansen family is. Its members provide plenty of suspects: Pete, Lurleen’s estranged husband; Mitzi; Mitzi’s two adopted children, 12-year-old Matt and 13-year-old Kayla (both psychologically damaged); and Lurleen’s son, Bill. Things become more complicated when someone begins stalking and threatening Sara. Is someone trying to prevent her upcoming testimony? The feds are worried. In a story propelled more by basic detective work than high-tension action, subplots involving several secondary characters provide additional satisfying drama. And series followers should enjoy the continuing saga of the relationship between Sara and her significant other, Eric Sanders. Pete, a chemical engineer and expert on detecting and dealing with polluted water supplies, serves as Greger’s narrative connector to her stated underlying theme—“that water is essential for life and is considered holy in many cultures but it is also often polluted.” Yet the weaving together of theme and murder mystery, albeit intriguing and informative, sometimes feels thin, more like a contrivance than a critical component of the primary plotline.

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