A mystery set in rambunctious East Texas, “Beneath the Surface” is the second outing for Detective Sam Lawson, a can-do, smart, but volatile policeman. Assigned out of town to track down the missing daughter of his ex-boss (and enemy), Lawson discovers a stew of potential suspects, including businesspeople and local identities. The author unfurls the action and clues deftly, the style is unobtrusive, the dialogue sounds right, and Hawkins County springs to life. “Beneath the Surface” is stock standard genre fodder and all the better for it, a swift, pleasing read.
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