L.a. Metro by R.j. Nolan

The death of a young heroin dealer occasions no great concern for New York Detective Frank Parrish‹Danny Lange is just another casualty of the drug war. But when Danny s teenage sister winds up dead, questions are raised that have no clear answers. As the homicides continue and a disturbing pattern emerges Frank tries desperately to make sense of the deaths, while battling his own demons. Trying to live up to the reputation of his fathera legendary NYPD Detective and one of the original Saints of New York the crew who worked with the authorities to rid New York of the final vestiges of Mafia control in the 1980s Parrish struggles with the broken pieces of his own life. But, as the murder rate escalates, he must discover the truth before there are further innocent victims.

What is it that Mr Ellory has that many otherwise competent writers don't? What lifts him above the crowd? I believe it is his ability to make loneliness, longing, sadness and tragedy come alive for us and transform us, without causing despair. He has that quality that I look for, above all others, in a writer: the ability to remind us of the bittersweet nature of life here on earth. It is a quality that he shares with such esteemed writers as Haruki Murakami, Kazuo Ishiguro and the late Roberto Bolano.