Three-time Edgar Award winner Parker tells the story of Afghanistan War vet Patrick Norris, who must defer his dreams upon returning home because his parents face ruin after a wildfire wipes out their avocado ranch and his sweet-natured brother has been drawn into a bad crowd. A lovely and distinctively different woman named Iris complicates matters. Promising departure.

After completing a tour of duty in Afghanistan, Patrick Norris returns home to the foothills above San Diego to start a new life. Patrick buys a boat, which he plans to use to start a recreational fishing business, but before he can launch his venture, his family's avocado farm is destroyed by a massive wildfire. Consequently, Patrick returns to help his family rebuild their farm. As he reconnects with his community, he falls in love with Iris. Also competing for Patrick's attention is his brother Ted, who could not serve in the military and seeks to prove himself to his family. Unfortunately, Ted's actions continuously endanger himself, his family, and his community because of his connection to members of a white supremacist group. Ted's decisions force Patrick to make a difficult choice to salvage his family's honor. VERDICT Parker (Laguna Heat ), a three-time Edgar Award winner, delivers an exceptional, insightful, and contemporary stand-alone literary novel. Fans of the author's crime novels and Tim O'Brien's war novels will enjoy this story, which highlights the impact of war on a community. In addition, Steinbeck fans will appreciate the description of the setting and intricate plot. [See Prepub Alert, 3/24/14.]—Russell Michalak, Goldey-Beacom Coll. Lib., Wilmington, DE

Edgar-winner Parker (Laguna Heat) takes a break from writing bestselling crime novels for this standalone about an Afghanistan veteran who comes home to California and discovers that the town where he grew up is its own kind of war zone. Returning to Fallbrook, Calif., Patrick Norris finds that his family's avocado farm is in danger of going under thanks to recent canyon fire that destroyed 10 acres. This comes at a bad time for Patrick, who is attempting to extricate himself from his family's business and begin his own fly-fishing charter company. Patrick also has to deal with his older brother, Ted, a lifelong screw-up who, after being mugged by a Mexican, buys a glock and flirts with joining a local racist gang, the Rogue Wolves. Add a love interest for Patrick; a Homeland Security agent trying to prove that the fire was a terrorist act started by local Muslims; some Marine buddies having difficulties adjusting to civilian life; a mayor with too much on her plate; and an impending storm, and the stage is set for a chaotic climax. Unfortunately, this novel feels simultaneously underdramatized and overdetermined. Although the characters are well developed, there is a pat quality to the writing that undermines the emotional investment in Patrick's return to civilian life. (Oct.)