Lesser Evils

An exciting entry into the noir canon, Joe Flanagan's Lesser Evils expertly reimagines 1957 Cape Cod, where the mystifying murder of a local child brings us into a world of intrigue-honed by intricate plotting, sharp dialogue, and original characters-that culminates in a conclusion both surprising and deeply moving. When the first young boy goes missing in a quiet Cape Cod town, Lieutenant Bill Warren is pulled into a morass that promises no happy ending. As his pursuit uncovers the unimaginable, he is led into a world of gambling, drug peddling, corruption, and secret psychiatric experiments. Now he must fight to maintain control of an investigation that more and more people-from the state police to the district attorney to a tenacious Boston reporter-have become seriously interested in. As facts become murkier and the threat rises, Warren struggles to survive in a world where the police can be just as corrupt as the criminals they chase, and where a murder inquiry will ultimately lead to his front door. Years later, the locals will still be debating whether the case's resolution was factual or miraculous. Flanagan's debut novel is a modern take on classic noir crime fiction. Readers will be eager for his next offering "Transposes the corrupt world of James Ellroy's L.A. Confidential to the Cape Cod of 1957 . . . Ratchets up the suspense to an almost unbearable level" ( Publishers Weekly , starred review). When the first young boy goes missing in a quiet Cape Cod town, Bill Warren, who took the job of police chief after returning from World War II, is pulled into a morass that promises no happy ending. As his pursuit uncovers the unimaginable, he is led into a world of criminal conspiracy, a secretive pharmaceutical firm, and an odd local clergyman who may be either a miracle worker or a madman. And while caring for his disabled son, he must fight to maintain control of an investigation in which more and more people—from the state police to the district attorney to a tenacious Boston reporter—are taking a serious interest. As facts become murkier and the threat rises, Warren struggles to survive in a world where the police can be just as corrupt as the criminals they chase, and where a murder inquiry will ultimately lead to his front door. "A deftly plotted and perfectly realized crime novel that features one of the most interesting, complex and likable protagonists of recent times." —Stav Sherez, author of Eleven Days "[A] highly impressive debut." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "When returning WWII veteran Bill Warren becomes the replacement police chief of a quiet Cape Code town, his duties seem simple: days spent breaking up petty rackets and domestic disturbances and nights spent caring for his disabled son. But these commitments can't shut out the echoes of the life he might have led. Then a child goes missing and Warren begins an investigation more frightening than any he could have imagined."--Dust jacket, p.[2]