Gene Hammons was the best detective in the Phoenix Police Department. That is until he wouldn’t play along to get along. Now a Private Investigator he’s managing pretty well in the Great Depression.

A woman’s body is found by the railway tracks. She’s been dismembered and posed. The newspapers are calling it an accident on the tracks…but yeah, it’s not.

Hammon’s brother Don, still a detective on the force, asks for his help. He degrades Gene at the scene in front of the other cops. Theirs is not a loving relationship.

Hammon’s squeeze Victoria Vasquez, is a police photographer when not shooting weddings. She’s a sharp dame and together with Gene they work to determine who the woman was and why she was murdered.

Strong, accurate portrayls of Phoenix and the people of its time make City of Dark Corners interesting. Hard boiled, gritty and atmospheric make it a stand out. I sank into this book and wanted to stay there. Highly recommended and Jon Talton is an author to keep in mind so check out his other books.