cover image In the Valley of the Shadow

In the Valley of the Shadow

Leonard Sanders. Carroll & Graf Publishers, $21 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-7867-0306-7

A retired Oklahoma state detective, a serial murderer with a passion for snakes and an abducted child film star collide in a high-voltage thriller from suspense and western writer Sanders, whose last book, Esther (1994), was true crime about an Oklahoma murder case. Also at center stage here is high-profile New York book editor Rachel Shelby, who hires Booker Reeves--a Native American who, intriguingly, is in his 60s--to find her missing daughter. As Reeves searches, the Oklahoma setting and its backwoods evil are crisply evoked. The narrative marches along, kicking up plenty of tension. The extended climax, however, which features battles not only against the killer but also against his giant, homicidal snake, slips into strident melodrama. A trim yarn that entertains without going deep, this novel, come summer, will make a nice addition to the beach bag. (July)