Sins of the Father

Detective Nathan Parker, #4

by

James L’Etoile

A threat from Parker’s past teams up with a dangerous new foe.

Sins of the Father is the fourth book in author James L’Etoile’s gripping Detective Nathan Parker series, and pits the canny lawman against a merciless new foe: a seemingly all-knowing and unstoppable criminal organization that even has the Mexican cartels on defense. While investigating a corpse found at a desert crossroads by a vanload of Boy Scouts and their leaders, Detective Sergeant Nathan Parker of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office inadvertently gets involved in a federal Joint Terrorism Task Force operation. After being arm-twisted into working with them, he suddenly finds himself on his own and back in charge of the case when the task force is discovered to be compromised and Red Dawn, the very organization they’re hunting, abducts their loose cannon of a group leader. 

What a great story! The complex plot is full of surprising twists and turns that reach several years back to the murder of Nathan’s former partner, Josh McMillan. His coworker and close friend died in Nathan’s arms, and it has taken him a lot of time and professional help to begin to cope with the emotional trauma. When another detective is critically wounded while working with him on this new case, Nathan quickly realizes he and the man’s partner, Barry Johns, are emotionally vulnerable and should seek out support as soon as they are able. The secondary plot about the experiences of the wounded detective and his wife, forever waiting in the hospital, was so accurately portrayed that it was almost difficult to read. 

The activities of Red Dawn drew in a perplexing cross-section of Phoenix’s society. Multi-millionaires running foundations, rich college students chasing a good time, immigrants minding their own business, and even Nathan’s old friend and Miguel’s boss, the former coyote, Billie Carson, appear to have nothing in common at first, but connections slowly come to light as Nathan and his team follow the clues. Nathan is smart, persistent, and persuasive, putting together a cohesive team that includes both his former and current girlfriends, FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Lynnette Finch and Deputy Linda Hunt. 

The relationship between Nathan and Linda continues to deepen, progressing to the point where she and Leon are considering moving in with him and Miguel. Their love for each other and their sons is strong, both having overcome baggage from their pasts. This case definitely puts their connection to the test. In addition, I really loved seeing how Nathan’s relationship with his adopted son, Miguel, has normalized to a natural father-son feeling, and they’ve developed a solid family unit. 

With its strong personal storyline and complex criminal investigation, I recommend SINS OF THE FATHER to readers of mysteries and thrillers, especially those who enjoy a good police procedural with an emotional personal story.

 I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.