Sympathy for the Devil

When journalist Charles Lawton finds a cartridge case from an M16-A1 assault rifle near a desiccated body in the Texas Panhandle, he knows he is on to a front-page story – but as he investigates, he finds himself drawn into the murky politics and casual indifference to the death of a rural community and its corrupt police. When the murder is hung on a conveniently dead suspect, Lawton realizes that no-one really wants to know the truth, but his growing intimacy with the victim’s widow leaves him with little option other than to continue with his investigation and bring about some sort of justice. This beautifully written and atmospheric murder mystery, by journalist and writer Terin Miller, evokes the world of the Vietnam veteran and casual racism in Texas during the 1980s in a remarkable example of the genre.