Lee Goldberg’s Western Noir Metaphysical Novel: Calico
© Severn House
Lee Goldberg is a master of the mystery genre in books and television. He can do mystery-comedy, mystery-medical, thriller, procedural, and now, a triple genre, a western-detective-metaphysical novel featuring an extremely strong-willed female detective, Beth McDade in his newest novel, Calico.
If you’re familiar with his Ian Ludlow or Eve Ronin series, you are in for a surprise. While Beth McDade most certainly has the signature characteristics of any Goldberg hero/ine, including tenacity, hubris, and a highly analytical mind, she is the one who has fallen from grace the most. Beth is damaged goods, although she is a victim of reverse discrimination. It seems that Beth had an affair with a good-looking officer—she was technically his superior and they got caught in the act. Had Beth been a man and the junior had been a female officer, it very well might have been over-looked, and even laughed off; however, since she was a woman in power and already resented by some on the force, she was reported and lost her job in the LAPD.
Highly disgraced, Beth could only find a job in what Southern California residents see as the purgatory of the region, the high desert, more specifically, Barstow. Anybody who lives in Los Angeles only thinks of Barstow for two things, the outlets off the 15 freeway and a major pitstop on the gauntlet to Vegas. Apple Valley is the point of no return and if you go any further east, you are in no-man’s land, no matter how built up it becomes.
Beth knows that until fate deals her a hand to start rectifying her reputation, which seems nearly impossible, she will be a lifelong resident of the high desert. She also realizes that her co-workers tend to have had the same career trajectory, whether they did something wrong or were ousted by their own kind. It’s in this climate Beth McDade must forge her way forward and somehow untarnish her name.
This opportunity presents itself when she begins an investigation into a traffic fatality—a distracted driver in a motorhome runs down an unidentified man by accident during a lightning storm. As she begins her investigation into what seems an honest accident, she is only faced with an increasing amount of questions. This situation is further exacerbated when she is called to investigate a body buried in a shallow grave on a construction site where there are just as many questions surrounding the body as the unidentified traffic victim.
Beth finds herself in a metaphysical mystery. Exacerbated by the military who won’t provide answers (Barstow is famous for its military bases) as well as an additional investigation into a series of robberies, she suddenly has her hands full. Her staunchest ally is an overly pregnant coroner willing to go down the metaphysical rabbit hole even further than Beth herself.
One word of warning for die-hard Lee Goldberg fans…this is a fast-paced novel, but without giving away some of the best plot points, just remember to go with the flow. The parallel story is more about survival than a murder investigation so although you are getting a great deal of fascinating information, you are not going to be investigating a homicide. As the novel dovetails and the two stories collide, the pace quickens leaving the reader wondering how things will be resolved. Goldberg brings an explosive conclusion like only he can, and I know I am looking forward to more metaphysical occurrences in what I can only assume is the beginning of a Beth McDade series. If this is going to be a standalone novel like it is currently listed on Goldberg’s website, I would suggest he strongly reconsider that idea.