A Violent Masterpiece

Edgar winner Harper’s riveting latest (after The Last King of California) follows a trio of Los Angeles strivers who investigate a series of horrific crimes. While the City of Angels is being haunted by a serial killer dubbed the L.A. Ripper, Kara, a fixer for the elite concierge service Sub Rosa, reels from the disappearance of her friend Phoebe. Increasingly convinced the Ripper killed Phoebe, she retreats into drug use and conspiracist online forums while questioning her complicity in L.A.’s culture of violence. Principled defense attorney Doug Gibson becomes Kara’s closest ally when his investigation into a client’s suspicious jailhouse death points him toward nefarious goings-on at Sub Rosa. Meanwhile, cynical livestreamer Jake Deal, who attracts followers with his lurid true crime coverage, inadvertently films Phoebe’s abduction at a Hollywood party. As Harper’s three leads converge, each becomes both weapon and target for Tinseltown’s corrupt puppet masters. Razor-sharp dialogue and vivid prose (“The city blurs in the dashcam display.... Like everything has its own light. Like the fire is already burning”) conjure an intoxicating atmosphere of glamor and decay, while Harper’s distinct characters elicit deep emotional investment. The result is a glittering neo-noir with staying power. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc. (Apr.)