Case Pending

First published in the US in 1960, ''Case Pending'' is a groundbreaking mystery novel which serves as the historic debut of LAPD Homicide Lieutenant Luis Mendoza. This book is widely recognized for establishing the author as the "Queen of the Police Procedural" and introducing one of literature's very first fictional Latino detectives.

The plot follows Lieutenant Luis Mendoza as he tackles a complex, multi-layered investigation in Los Angeles. The body of 18-year-old window dresser Elena Ramirez is discovered in an empty lot, sporting a severe left eye injury. Mendoza links her death to an unsolved homicide from six months prior involving a chambermaid named Carol Brooks, who suffered an identical injury.

The investigation spirals into a three-way mystery involving a blackmail ring tied to an underground adoption scheme and a young man crippled by immense guilt. Relying entirely on old-school, routine police teamwork and intuition, the narrative showcases police work before the era of modern forensics and digital technology.