Eight stars
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Lee Goldberg, and Severn House for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Everything that I have read by Lee Goldberg has kept me enthralled and this newest novel is no exception. Goldberg utilises his abilities in writing police procedurals with a career working in television to develop this piece, which adds a little mind- and time-bending to keep the reader hooked. A small California community comes to life when a man dies in a motor vehicle mishap around the time a freak weather event and explosion occur. What's even more confusion is his state of dress and presentation. That is further exacerbated when a local man disappears into thin air around the same time, leaving Detective Beth McDade to piece things together. What follows is a mystery that no one saw coming, with ties across decades and through a rooted family tree. Goldberg does a brilliant job with this piece, keeping the reader hooked until the final page turn.
Those who have heard of Barstow, California, know that this dusty town in the Mojave desert is destination for no one, save those trying to flee its confines. Such is the truth that Detective Beth McDade has come to discover since being forced from the LAPD. With a past she chooses to shelve, Detective McDade has found this small area and calls it home.
After arriving at the scene of a man run over by a motor home, Detective McDade wonders why she is here. It is only when she examines the victim, who has no signs of being from around Barstow, that McDade sees the oddities. The man's presentation and state of attire are from another time, which baffles those who saw what happened. Add to this, Owen Slader disappears into thin air. Something is surely amiss and all Detextive MxDade can decipher is that there was something going on at the local military base. Witnesses saw a fork of lightning, but nothing can substantiate events enough to put the mysteries to rest.
Not long thereafter, McDade finds some skeletal remains, adding to the ongoing confusion. The skeleton shows signs of modern medical advancements, but also has deteriorated.to the point that it must have been from the late 19th century. Could this skeleton and the man who died on the interstate be connected in some odd way? Detective McDade will stop at noting to connect the dots, even if there's s no way of making sense of them.
Owen Slader has his own story here, a man who disappeared into thin air and emerged in the middle of Calico, California. A mining community is nothing like the modern community in which he was living, but it holds new and valuable assets. Slader takes on a new identity and tries to make a life for himself in the 1880s, while leaving clues that he is not from this time. He plants roots and tries to help those from his future life better understand what's happened to him.
As the truth soon emerges and she must make a pronouncement, Detective McDade realises that she has something out of this world on her hands, with no chance of tying the mystery up in a tight bow. There are forces she could not have expected trying to silence her, with others seeking answers from a fore-bearer who appears to have straddled two points in time. Goldberg does well to pace this book and keep things going for all to enjoy until the final reveal.
There is something about Lee Goldberg and his writing that has long excited me. I love his description and how he uses his narrative to paint a picture the reader can easily see as thy keep reading. While things may appear a tad "science fiction" on the surface, there is a great mystery afoot and the reader is in the middle of it all. There are great developments, though the reader will have to keep up or risk losing it all.
Characters emerge with ease and Goldberg knows how to place them in such a way that they cannot help but impact the larger storyline. While Beth McDade remains central throughout, she pales at times in comparison to the life of Owen Slader, whose existence has also been turned upside down. Goldberg depicts all this with ease and great detail, entertaining the reader while flavoring the narrative.
It is the plot twisting that takes centre stage in this piece. Goldberg knows how to tell a story and add folds to the linear presentation to keep the reader from guessing too much. There is little time to rests on one's laurels, though Goldberg makes the adventure something exciting that all can enjoy. The book plays out like a great television movie, which shows Goldberg's influences. I cannot wait to see what else he has in store for readers and where things are headed with his writing.
Kudos, Mr. Goldberg, for opening my mind to something well outside my usual reading comfort zone.
Be sure to check for my review, first posted on Mystery and Suspense, as well as a number of other insightful comments by other reviewers.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/calico/
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