Desert Sanctuary

“Baker’s (An Imperfect Crime, 2018, etc.) images are rich . . . The book’s pacing is superb, starting out strong with the gunfight . . . Timeliness of content stands out . . . A resonant, character-driven mystery.” — Kirkus Reviews

A cop murdered, a sanctuary violated,
a contract out on Sanchez’s head. . . .

In this second novel in the Detective Sanchez/Father Montero Mystery series, a nighttime drug bust in Phoenix turns deadly. Police Captain Ronald Gurvy shoots it out with gang boss Roberto Gomez and both men are killed. Detective Lori Sanchez is first on the scene and hears a third party running away in the dark. Who was it? The killer or a witness to the murder?

When Sanchez is accused of killing both men, Father Guillermo Montero steps forward to help his friend prove her innocence. At the same time he must help a new priest, Father John, protect Latin American refugees and a man seeking sanctuary in John’s church because he saw something no man should ever see.

Sanchez and Montero work the case together. Police on the Phoenix PD think she killed Gurvy. The infamous Westside Gang is convinced she killed Gomez. They all want her dead. Sanchez must fight for her life as the clues tumble together and the plot thickens.