The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker

Review by Gloria Feit

Robbie Brownlaw, a San Diego homicide detective [self-described in a phrase new to me: a "dead dick"], suffers from synesthesia, a [probably] very real neurological disease - there appears to be some small bit of controversy over this - defined as an involuntary joining of senses in which the real information of one sense is accompanied by a perception in another sense. In this instance, Robbie sees shapes and colors of emotions behind spoken words, a fact of which only he and his wife are aware. This came about following a near-miraculous recovery after being thrown out of 6th floor hotel window, turning him into a local hero and resulting in two police department promotions. For the most part this condition, sort of a built-in lie detector as deceptive speech provokes a very specific shape and color that seems to emit from the speaker's mouth, plays out as mostly background in The Fallen, but an intriguing one. As the book opens Robbie and his partner are called in to investigate the death, which may or may not be a suicide, of Garrett Asplundh, a former cop who was now an ethics investigator. The search turns up evidence of the dead man's current investigations into possible corruption both inside various law enforcement agencies and city government, and the detectives are urged to keep whatever findings they may uncover under wraps and in-house. They must also look at a motive of a more personal nature. Garrett and his wife have been separated since the tragic drowning death of their three-year old daughter, and on the night of his death they were to meet for what may have been a reconciliation. Robbie and his wife are going through their own marital troubles. Both men are married to very beautiful women they adore, and the difficulties in their marriages and the toll taken on all concerned are movingly drawn.

This is another suspense-filled novel by Mr. Parker, his 13th book. His descriptions of San Diego and its environs are excellent, and his characters very well-drawn. The power game played among the various government movers and shakers, as well as the wanna-bes and those lower down in that food chain, are compelling. Another strong book from this author.