A Shattered Lens by Layton Green

Going for the jugular, Layton Green goes both ways!  Now that I have your attention, he writes equally well in two distinct genres, urbanish fantasy and old fashioned, teeth jarring mysteries.  This book features Preach, a former wild child, prison chaplain, big city homicide detective and now small town police detective.  Preach is forced to confront his own past, deal with perfidy on several levels, face personal domestic unrest and solve a murder.

Green provides a wealth of color for his protagonist.   Preach demonstrates realistic feelings and temptations tempered by a well-honed sense of survival cynicism.   A common platitude is that you can never go home again.  Preach is home and finding that although you may return, things are never the same. 

Preach’s attachment to Blue rang my chord.   Troubled kids seldom can find an advocate.   My only dissatisfaction was Ari’s inability to overcome her own insecurities  and support Preach when he needed it.  

The ruthlessness of the villains is taken right out of today’s headlines.  Green does a great slight of hand with the ending.  

I have read, I think, all of Layton Green’s books and I have never been disappointed.

I recommend this and all his books.

This is a follow up to Written in Blood but they can be read in any order and stand alone beautifully. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.