The Dream of the White Elephant

A twisty puzzle-box murder mystery and police procedural in the vein of Walter Mosley and Sara Paretsky

When the body is found in Runyon Canyon Park with its teeth and fingerprints destroyed and all the clothes and belongings removed, Detective Gregory of the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division is certain that the hard part will be identifying the corpse. But soon they have a name, and that's when things get complicated. The Department of Homeland Security unexpectedly takes an interest, a connection to an open case involving a bombing is made, and the body count increases even as motive remains elusive.

And the sudden reappearance of a face from Gregory's past, a suspect in the horrific killings of five young girls, will present its own dangers to the case and to the detective. Will the murderers be brought to justice?