The Janes by Louisa Luna is a mystery set outside of San Diego featuring Luna's previously established investigator Alice Vega. Vega is withdrawn and prickly, not known for working well with others. She is called in when police discover a connection between the unidentified bodies of two young women. Vega is initially reluctant to take the case when the FBI involvement in the case makes the investigative process murky. Vega brings in an old acquaintance, Max Caplan (referred to as Cap), to help solve the case. This story has more than the average number of twists and readers will be left wondering what's next when the original story line wraps up almost halfway through the book. Vega isn't the most affable character, but Cap's presence helps smooth that out for the reader. There is definitely a hidden history for both Vega and Cap, with references to a former case that they wrapped up (covered in Luna's first novel Two Girls Down). As a reader who was not familiar with the first novel, some of the references were a little confusing, and the character development was harder to follow, so definitely read the previous novel first.
Vega is a complex character and I think if Luna continues with this series we'll see more development and hear more about her past and why she investigates in the manner that she does. It's a solid mystery that covers human trafficking, police corruption, and the immigrant experience in the U.S. There are some scenes involving physical and sexual violence. It checked the most important box for me: I didn't figure out whodunnit until the very end.
Vega is a complex character and I think if Luna continues with this series we'll see more development and hear more about her past and why she investigates in the manner that she does. It's a solid mystery that covers human trafficking, police corruption, and the immigrant experience in the U.S. There are some scenes involving physical and sexual violence. It checked the most important box for me: I didn't figure out whodunnit until the very end.