Synopses & Reviews
“A fresh voice in crime fiction. Fast, funny, heartbreaking and wise...Elouise Norton is the best new character you'll meet this year.” —Lee Child,
New York Times bestselling author, on Rachel Howzell Hall's
Land of ShadowsAlong the ever-changing border of gentrifying Los Angeles, seventeen-year-old Monique Darson is found dead at a condominium construction site, hanging in the closet of an unfinished unit. Homicide detective Elouise “Lou” Nortons new partner, Colin Taggert, fresh from the comparatively bucolic Colorado Springs police department, assumes its a teenage suicide. Lou isnt buying the easy explanation.
For one thing, the condo site is owned by Napoleon Crase, a self-made millionaire. . .and the man who may have murdered Lou's missing sister, Tori, thirty years ago. As Lou investigates the death of Monique Darson, she uncovers undeniable links between the two cases. But her department is skeptical.
Lou is convinced that when she solves Moniques case she will finally bring her lost sister home. But as she gets closer to the truth, she also gets closer to a violent killer. After all this time, can he be brought to justice. . .before Lou becomes his next victim?
Review
“A fresh voice in crime fiction. Fast, funny, heartbreaking and wise...Elouise Norton is the best new character you'll meet this year.”
—Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author
“Spellbinding. Gritty. Original, complex, profound, and riveting. This is a voice you have never heard—and will be unable to forget. Prepare to be blown away.”
—Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha, and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author
“A hard-hitting tale of a modern, complex Los Angeles. Well-written and deftly paced…a story that stays with you after the last page is read.”
—Gary Phillips, author of Warlord of Willow Ridge
“Intense, gritty and absolutely riveting, Land of Shadows took my breath away. The power of Rachel Howzell Halls prose and the sophistication of her plotting grabbed me immediately. Even so, her most dazzling accomplishment is bringing to life LAPD detective Lou Norton, whose passionate voice is still reverberating in my head. A phenomenal book Im recommending far and wide. This better be the start of a series!”—Hilary Davidson
About the Author
RACHEL HOWZELL HALL is the Foundation and Corporate Grants Manager at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Los Angeles, which mobilizes community volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children. Her first novel, A Quiet Storm, received a starred review from Library Journal and was a featured selection for Borders Original Voices program, as well as an alternate selection for Black Expressions book club. She lives in Los Angeles.