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Gritty, coarse, rough; ideal descriptions for this debut thriller by a former actor/disc jockey/cab driver/probation officer, to mention only a few of Michael Simon's many careers. Now he can add successful writer to the list.
Sgt. Dan Reles, New Yorker by birth --- and nature --- is striving to assimilate well into life in Austin, Texas. But his current focus is dealing with the recent death of his partner, Joey, and his disturbingly inappropriate feelings for Joey's widow. She has become nearly an obsession, an obsession so blatant that it has earned him sneers and crude comments from fellow officers. He knows that if he doesn't shape up soon, he may be out of a job. Unfortunately, he doesn't have a lot of friends on the APD, being not only a bit of a loner but definitely not a team player when it comes to dirty cops.
On a scorching September evening, Reles catches the call for a possible suicide. But it smells funny to him. A fellow committing suicide by jumping in front of a bus right after a rushed breakfast at a taco stand? While on the scene, searching for body parts to complete the badly mangled corpse, Reles spies a bonafide homicide victim, no doubt about it. Regrettably, more parts are missing from this torso than the bus victim. The missing parts start showing up on the doorsteps of some of Austin's leading citizens, and the police start wondering why. What's their connection? The Austin PD is convinced that, as soon as they can identify the victim --- if they ever locate the hands or the head --- they might have a shot at figuring out motive and finding a suspect. But when the crucial parts surface, they trigger more questions than answers.
Meanwhile, Reles has a nasty run-in with an officer who harbors a dangerous loathing for him. A bad situation deteriorates, and Reles finds himself scheduled before a review board. Bringing the killer to justice is the only thing that will keep him on the force, but his dead partner keeps sidetracking him --- as does his dead partner's widow. Things don't look too good for Sgt. Reles. Then, making himself even more unpopular, he decides to investigate the suspicious suicide as a murder too.
DIRTY SALLY is packed with edge-of-your-seat action. Michael Simon adroitly grips you by the throat and doesn't let go. This book will keep you up all night.
--- Reviewed by Kate Ayers
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