In Van Clieaf’s mystery series starter, the kidnapping of an Indigenous girl in rural Canada catapults a detective sergeant into an investigation involving corruption and human trafficking.

This well-paced procedural, told from the perspective of the victims, police officers, and criminologists on the case, ties in stories of past and present abuse. After 11-year-old Carey Bolton is abducted from her hometown in northern British Columbia, her cousin, a student in Vancouver, enlists the help of Morgan O’Meara, a filmmaker and teacher of Anishinaabe and Irish heritage. Morgan and her partner, Lucas Arenas, who’s a Guatemalan immigrant of Ixil-Maya descent and professor of criminology, begin looking into the disappearance with and without the help of police. Things become dangerous for Morgan after she visits a seedy flophouse and a swanky members’ club; she survives an attack, thanks to a passerby who happens to be off-duty detective sergeant Alex Desocarras. Details of police work effectively alternate with stories of Morgan’s recovery, Lucas’ memories of his past, and Carey’s grim imprisonment. As the investigation narrows its focus, the team uncovers links to dirty cops and international traffickers. Overall, Van Clieaf’s novel explores complexities of identity in depth, as simmering tensions between authorities and Indigenous communities feed into the main plot. Less compelling, however, are the book’s extended ruminations on Guatemalan colonial history, although the author cites reference works—some more recent than others—for readers who wish to dig deeper. Fans of the fourth season of True Detective, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis, will appreciate the moody ambience and subject matter; those left wanting more can explore the second volume of the Alex Desocarras series, Red Paint (2020).

A complex and atmospheric story of a crime in a First Nations community.

A Canadian detective sergeant hunts human traffickers who’ve slapped a target on his back in this sequel to Blue Star (2020).

In one of DS Alex Desocarras’ biggest cases, he exposed a sex-trafficking ring. But while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have taken down the major players, at least two villains remain at large. The men kill a key witness and target Alex and his wife. Meanwhile, local hacktivist Levon Starr, out of sheer curiosity, peruses the RCMP’s servers for details on the ongoing case. Unexpectedly, he sees that one of the traffickers may have access to these servers. Levon shares this info, in an encrypted format, with Alex. Authorities take measures to avoid the baddies’ eavesdropping, while clues lead them to ships that may be transporting abducted women for organ harvesting. Levon convinces his hacker pals, like his brother, to use their skills to thwart traffickers, risking everyone’s safety. Van Clieaf’s action-stuffed adventure maintains a consistently menacing tone. An impending winter storm that promises to be brutal further intensifies the mood. Striking prose keeps things moving, even if it’s primarily dialogue, and the diverse cast includes numerous Indigenous characters, including Alex and Levon. The investigation, however, is sometimes hard to follow, especially as piecing together evidence involves what officers erroneously call palindromes. Regardless, the story ends with a first-rate setup for the next series installment.

A vigorous thriller spiced with plenty of fight scenes and memorable characters.

The third installation of Van Clieaf’s mystery series finds private detective Alex Desocarras embroiled in high-stakes controversies involving the lucrative Canadian mining industry.

Alex, a Secwépemc First Nations PI, formerly with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, is called in to investigate the attempted murder of Max King, a lawyer involved in bringing suits against mining interests, and Max’s girlfriend, Rose Barlow. Max and Alex are both members of the redz, a secret network of Indigenous people who are helping to coordinate “White Paper Blizzard,” an international, coordinated attempt to bring lawsuits against companies whose ecological degradation is jeopardizing individuals’ “right to a healthy environment.” At the outset, Max’s assailants dump him near the entrance of one of the rare earthmines his group is targeting. His mother calls on Alex to investigate, and the private eye, along with a former Mountie colleague, a couple of local detectives, and the redz work together to unravel a complex situation that involves an organized crime ring, competing corporations, and others who would have a lot to lose from mine closures. Over the course of the novel, Van Clieaf spins a plot that’s ambitious and engaging, even if it sometimes stretches the limits of credibility. The writing style is sometimes a bit flat or clinical, which makes it hard for readers to get a grasp on some of the secondary characters. A few, however, such as mob goon Frank McGiver, are vivid, over-the-top characters that genre fans are likely to recognize and appreciate. The story also addresses the processes of rare earth mining with clarity, and it’s at its strongest when it explores the nuances of complex social and political issues.

An intriguing exploration of Canadian mining in a straightforward PI tale.