White Tombs

Christopher Valen
Conquill Press (2008)
ISBN 9780980001723
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (3/08) 

A while ago, I decided to leave the information on the book cover or book jacket for last, since I did not want to be influenced by it while reading the book. There are things that one can easily forgive if the author is new, but with the more seasoned authors one tends to be more demanding and more critical. Imagine my surprise when I finished reading Christopher Valen’s “White Tombs,” a detective story that I found extremely solid and well written, and then discovering that this was Mr. Valen’s first novel. I found the quality of his writing amazing, and well beyond expectations for a fiction debut.

Colombian-born detective John Santana is investigating the murder of Julio Perez, the owner of the largest Hispanic newspaper in St. Paul area, El Dia. While investigating his murder, Santana discovers that Perez’s Rolodex is open to the name and address of Rafael Mendoza, a well-known local lawyer. Santana and his partner, Rick Anderson, head over to Mendoza’s to ask him some questions, but they arrive too late or rather just in time to see Mendoza fall to his death from the balcony. In the ensuing chase Anderson shoots a man, believing that he was trying to pull a gun on him. The dead man is Ruben Cordova, an employee of El Dia. He is pronounced to be the killer of Mendoza and Perez. Santana does not think that Cordova was the perp, but the investigation is taken away from him and given to Kehoe, an investigator Santana has very little respect and even less liking for. Although most clues point to some kind of illegal aliens visa scam as the reason for Mendoza’s and maybe even Perez’s murders, Santana is not convinced and he pursues other clues, fitting the pieces of a nearly impossible looking puzzle neatly together and solving the crime.

While I certainly do not wish to give the ending away, let me just say that Mr. Valen touches and addresses a very wide range of extremely relevant social issues in “White Tombs” and that this book goes well beyond being just a detective story.

Mr. Valen’s characters are fantastically well developed, and finding more of their layers gradually through the developing story makes them particularly fascinating. Just like in real life, there is more to every character than what first meets the eye. Christopher Valen deftly shows the influence of one’s surroundings as well as past events on a person’s life. Nothing in his story sounds unbelievable, nothing too far-fetched, yet the story keeps surprising us until the very end. The writing is solid and elegant, without unnecessary detours, yet with enough background information to further the reader’s insights into what shaped the heroes and villains of the “White Tombs.”

In spite of very obvious targeting of the Hispanic audiences, this intriguing detective story should have a much broader appeal. Any lover of solid writing should enjoy it greatly. “White Tombs” also screams out for a sequel – or better yet, sequels. I’ll definitely be on the lookout.

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