A baby is dead, her body abandoned in a roadside ditch. Her mother is the prime suspect ? then she turns up dead too. When the child's father goes missing, police detective Ned Barber digs in to discover who really killed the girl, and why. His investigation leads to charismatic pastor Jo Cerveaux, who has established a church known as the Disciples Ranch that serves men working in the booming oilfield. But Jo is using the church to attract followers of a little-known book called Refuge and Resurgence, which calls for racial purity and white male supremacy in the United States. Jo's followers use illegal drug sales to support the church. You will finish questioning how easily evil disguises itself as community.
If whitewashed villains and tidy endings leave you cold, read on. The Book of Jo shows how evil hides in plain sight. The Disciples Ranch ensnares unwitting victims, and dread fills their stories. Racist appliance salesman Chet Welles realizes too late that he must redeem himself. Barnett Stone, a closeted gay member of the Disciples, runs for his life ? one step ahead of his secret.
Those who like historical fiction will also enjoy The Book of Jo. Barber's experience stationed at the Berlin Wall during the Cold War and detective Bob Jewell's witnessing of a massacre by American troops in Vietnam affect their approaches to the investigation.
Readers looking for small-town ethos blended with drama can find it in The Book of Jo. It delivers characters who are original and often quirky. As Barber investigates, he is joined by police officer Pam Dilling (known as Dillinger) whose acute hearing and gut intuition helps break the case. Local businesswoman Kate Bradford is bereft over her inability to help the dead child and her mother. She does what she can to help the investigation.
Justice comes slowly ? and at a cost. Readers who crave justice in a morally complex tale will close this book shaken, satisfied, and thinking for days.
Fans of Tony Hillerman and Anne Hillerman will enjoy The Book of Jo.
