I can now die happy. Last week’s book review encouraged my husband (a Tom Clancy fan) to read the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. (I knew "One Shot" was a book he would like.) I’m feeling pretty smug! Roger, here’s another book you might enjoy. "The Fallen" by T. Jefferson Parker is a police procedural mystery. T. Jefferson Parker (The "T" is just a letter. Parker’s mother thought it would look good for a future president.) is a former journalist and Edgar Award winning author.

Homicide detective Robbie Brownlaw, hero of "The Fallen", suffers from synesthesia. Brownlaw explains that synesthesia is, "…a neurological condition where your senses get mixed up." In his case he sees colored shapes that betray the emotions of the person talking. This is a talent that comes in handy for a homicide detective. Deceit shows up as red triangles, dread as black triangles, envy as green trapezoids and so on. Robbie wasn’t born with this ability. A fall from a sixth story window brought on the synesthesia. Robbie didn’t so much as fall from the window as he was thrown by a crazed arsonist, who wrote a book about the incident and gives part of the royalties (75/25) to Robbie. Not only did he survive the fall, it made him a minor celebrity in San Diego and greatly accelerated his career tract. The downside was that he suffered severe headaches during his recovery, and those headaches signaled the onset of the synesthesia. Robbie chose not to share this condition with his colleagues. It may make him a better detective, but it could get him labeled as psycho.

T. Jefferson Parker has been called a "thinking man’s" writer. (I’m not sure who calls him this. Maybe just his publicist.) Anyway, he does write novels with well-rounded characters, not the comic strip characters that some novelists create. In the case of "The Fallen" his hero is not a stereotypical tough cop. While investigating a murder case, Robbie is also dealing with his neurological issues and the breakup of his marriage. Likewise, the murder victim is a fully developed, complicated individual. Garret Asplundh, found shot to death him his vehicle, was also a policeman. He was an investigator for the San Diego Ethics Authority Enforcement Unit and a man with plenty of enemies. Asplundh knew the dirty little secrets of San Diego’s civic leaders, police officials, and politicians. He had uncovered widespread corruption and a call girl ring, involving many of the city’s officials. In the year before his murder, Garret Asplundh also faced the drowning death of his three-year old daughter, his disintegrating marriage, and his alcoholism. Parker’s minor characters are also well rounded and come in shades of gray. If you like mystery, an intriguing plot and character development, "The Fallen" is the book for you.

Parker has authored two Edgar Award winning novels. (The Edgar Award, named after Edgar Allen Poe, is given every year by the Mystery Writers of America.) Both books are summarized below.

"California Girl" won the Edgar Award for Best novel in 2005. In 1968 Janell Vonn, a beauty queen and a quintessential California girl, was found brutally murdered (decapitated) in a packinghouse--the same packinghouse that had been the sight of a rumble between her brothers and the four Becker brothers many years earlier. Janell grew up on the wrong side of the tracks and was an incest victim. To the Becker boys she was a special kid, and they became determined to find her killer. Almost forty years after the fact, however, Sheriff’s Deputy Nick Becker decides the wrong man was convicted. Now, he must find the real murderer in a forty-year old case. An intricate plot and memorable characters set this mystery apart from most. It does include rough language and sexual content. (Large print copy only)

"Silent Joe" was the 2001 winner for the Edgar Best Novel. Joe Trona is both physically and emotionally scarred by childhood tragedy. When he witnesses the murder of his adoptive father, Joe becomes determined to find those responsible. This search will take him into the dark side of the California scene, including corrupt politicians, Asian gangs and illegal immigrants as he discovers his father’s many secrets and many enemies. "Silent Joe" also has Parker’s trademark of strong characters and complex plot development.

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