The Policeman's Daughter

This third installment in the Detective Sarah Alt police procedural series (Out of the Blues; Old Bones) is a prequel to the earlier books. Before she was a detective in the Atlanta Police Department, "Salt" was a beat officer in the poorest, most crime-ridden housing project, "The Homes." On the streets of the neighborhood, she is known to be gutsy and compassionate in her dealings with inhabitants. When Shannell, a drug-addicted sex worker, is found shot to death in her own closet, Salt sets out to find the killer. This is an engaging character study set in a unique place, and the plot describes the case that earned Salt her promotion to homicide. Boyce is herself a 30-year veteran of the Atlanta PD, which overlays the story with an authentic and gritty realism. Allyson Ryan is a skillful narrator, and her reading makes all the characters come vividly alive.