A Fragment Too Far: A Sheriff Luke McWhorter Mystery

Lynch (Strategy of the Dolphin: Scoring a Win in a Chaotic World) makes his fiction debut with an intriguing paranormal mystery, a series launch. Flagler, Tex., sheriff Luke McWhorter finds a disturbing crime scene at the abandoned house of retired physics professor Thaddeus Huntgardner: nine eviscerated male corpses, whose deteriorated condition makes ascertaining the cause of death—and their identities—a challenge. A whiteboard near the bodies depicts a mushroom cloud with the date July 16, 1945, the day the first atomic bomb was detonated. The stakes rise when someone breaks into McWhorter’s home, leaving behind a flashing blue light mimicking a police emergency beacon atop a note warning: “DON’T MAKE ROSWELL’S MISTAKE!” It turns out a fragment of the UFO that crashed in Roswell, N.Mex, in 1947 may be hidden in Flagler. An unusual lead, page-turning suspense, and a crackerjack plot help make this a winner, though it falls short of the standard set by similar books by bestsellers Preston and Child. The X-Files fans will be eager for the next installment. Agent: Steven Schwartz, Jane Freymann Literary. (Oct.)