BLUE STAR

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.