Desolation Canyon

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan carries the weight of accumulated grief in this second installment of P.J. Tracy's Los Angeles-set series. Still processing the loss of her brother overseas and the trauma of a fatal on-duty shooting, Nolan finds a rare day off interrupted by the discovery of a body floating in the ornate grounds of a luxury hotel. The victim is a prominent attorney with international dealings, and what looks like accidental drowning quickly unravels into something far more dangerous. As Nolan pulls at the threads, she exposes a network of powerful figures who have every reason to keep their secrets buried.

Abby Craden brings Margaret Nolan to life with a measured, world-weary authority that suits the character's emotional complexity. She navigates the story's tonal shifts between procedural tension and personal vulnerability without overplaying either, letting the quiet moments land as effectively as the thriller beats. At under eight hours, the runtime moves efficiently, making this an ideal listen for fans of character-driven crime fiction who want a fully realized detective alongside a genuinely twisting mystery.