P. J. Parrish is two of the best mystery writers you will ever
read. Parrish --- the collaborative name for sisters Kristy Montee
and Kelly Nichols --- owes me a night of sleep that I will never
get back. I started their new novel late one evening and could not
relinquish it until I read the final paragraph.

THE LITTLE DEATH is the latest installment in the award-winning
Louis Kincaid series. Set in the late 1980s, when DNA testing was
an extremely expensive forensic tool and cell phones were better
known as “car phones” --- if they were known at all ---
you have probably missed this fine series of novels if you limit
yourself to purchasing hardcover books. Parrish is more than worth
making the switch to paperbacks; this is a series of treasures
worth breaking your rule.

Kincaid is an ex-cop turned private investigator after being
summarily drummed off the force. Mel Landeta is his partner,
another ex-law enforcement officer forced to leave due to rapidly
deteriorating vision. THE LITTLE DEATH brings both men from their
familiar environs in Fort Myers, Florida, to Palm Beach, across the
state and a world away. Reggie Kent, an old acquaintance of
Landeta’s, has been accused of murdering Mark Durand, a
“walker” who escorted wealthy women in the city at
social soirees. Durand was Kent’s protégé,
sharing his home and possibly more.

When Durand’s headless body is found in an isolated area
adjoining the Archer cattle ranch, Kent is the only suspect in whom
Barberry, the local sheriff, is interested. Durand and Kent had a
very public quarrel shortly before Durand was murdered, and
evidence that appears to link Kent to the crime is found in the
home that they shared. Kincaid and Landeta soon find themselves
shoveling water uphill, as far as their investigation is concerned.
They discover that Palm Beach is a place that holds its secrets
dear and where appearance is to be preserved above all else.

But when a local matron chooses loyalty to her friend, Kent,
over local custom, it provides a thread, however slender, for
Kincaid and Landeta to pull in an attempt to unravel the case that
is quickly wrapping around Kent. Aided by Starr, a Palm Beach cop
with issues of his own, they uncover two similar, unsolved murders
from the past that appear to have ties to the Archer Ranch. The men
become convinced that a serial killer is operating in the area; the
sheriff, however, is sure of Kent’s guilt, leaving it to
Kincaid and Landeta to apply what pressure they can to learn the
truth. In a dramatic, deadly conclusion where the truth is at long
last revealed (at least to some), not all are left unscathed.

Although part of a series, THE LITTLE DEATH stands just fine on
its own. There are a number of issues that remain unresolved at the
end of the book, not the least of which is Kincaid and
Landeta’s increasingly prickly relationship, Landeta’s
vision problems, and Kincaid’s future vocational and romantic
aspirations. There are also a couple of loose ends to the Palm
Beach investigation that may or may not provide fodder for future
novels. THE LITTLE DEATH is a great mystery that’s well
plotted and superbly told. The best part, however, is the
characterization. Both Kincaid and Landeta are wonderfully
rough-edged, so it’s no wonder that low sparks occasionally
fly between them; yet it is Kent who is riveting here. While he is
not a common character by any means, everyone knows a Kent --- a
man not entirely comfortable with himself who somehow finds a quiet
niche that is all too easily disturbed.

Should Parrish so choose, Kincaid could find fertile and
fascinating ground for a return trip to the area, his general
distaste for it not withstanding. Future installments of the series
will reveal if this occurs; in the meantime, we have THE LITTLE
DEATH, which is not to be missed.