The Second Goodbye: A Pacific Homicide Novel

A couple of cold cases preoccupy spunky LAPD Det. Davie Richards in Smiley’s action-packed third Pacific Homicide novel (after 2017’s Outside the Wire). Davie efficiently nails the killer in the first case, the stabbing murder of a drug dealer, but the second one—the suspicious death of 34-year-old Sara Montaine—is less straightforward. Sara appears to have shot herself shortly after walking into a gun store and examining a gun while the store’s owner took a phone call in the back room. A photo that Davie examines shows Sara affixing a signature with her left hand, and the gun was found by her right hand where her body lay on the floor. Other evidence suggests it wasn’t a suicide. Davie displays her superior detective skills as she delves into Sara’s puzzling past, her family, and her interests. The suspense rises when an unknown party, fearful that Davie is learning too much, hires a hit man to follow her. A possible romance for Davie adds to the book’s appeal. Fans of realistic police procedurals with strong female leads will be satisfied. (Dec.)