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Book Review of In the Shadow of the Arch (Joe Keough, Bk 2)

In the Shadow of the Arch (Joe Keough, Bk 2)
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It's Joe Keough's first day as a St. Louis detective. His years in Brooklyn on the NYPD ended badly when he was forced to resign; Joe just wants the chance to be a detective again. The opportunity presents itself when three-year-old Brady Sanders wanders into the precinct house, his pajama footies soaked in blood. When Joe learns where the child lives, he finds a blood-spattered crime scene but no parents. He also investigates a series of other cases involving children; he suspects a relationship between all these incidents but can't find the thread to connect them. Meanwhile, he must negotiate his way through unfamiliar department politics and overcome resentment among his new peers toward the "big time New York detective." The second Keough case is stylishly written and carefully plotted, and it builds to a dramatic, exciting conclusion. Randisi also writes successful series featuring Miles Jacoby and Nick Delvecchio, but Keough--analytical, intelligent, and emotionally vulnerable--could easily become the author's most enduring, endearing character.