In the Silence of Decay

2024 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Category Finalist Mystery/Crime

2024 New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards Finalist: Crime Fiction

New Mexico, 1979: After a career in the military as a CID detective, all James Pinter wants to do is drive his rig and mind his own damn business. But when his daughter, Molly, finds a dead woman behind a gas station and a disabled boy at her side, he’s forced to reckon with his former life. The State Police record the death as an overdose—just another drug addict from the reservation—but James can’t ignore the clues they’re conveniently overlooking.

Reluctant to get involved but fearing for the boy’s life, James shares his suspicions with the Navajo Nation. The victim’s sister, desperate for answers, insists on James’s help. But the more James investigates, the further he and Molly are dragged into a world of drugs and corruption, big money and explosive secrets.

When James’s life is threatened, he knows he ought to leave town and take Molly with him. But he won’t abandon the innocent. Not after what happened at My Lai.