The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker

San Diego Homicide Detective Robbie Brownlaw was thrown out of a burning hotel and survived. He does not bear scars from that incident, but he did come away with a neurological condition called synesthesia in which he sees people's voices as colored shapes. Since red squares denote lying, Robbie as a cop has a useful tool with his primitive lie detector. In this instance, Robbie and his partner McKenzie Cortez investigate the death of Garrett Asplundh, former Professional Standards officers for the SDPD now an investigator for the SD Ethics Authority Enforcement Unit. Garrett was an upstanding, moral man with a tragedy in his past. Less than a year ago, his three-year-old daughter was found drowned in his swimming pool during a house party. His marriage to his much beloved wife fell apart and he started drinking heavily. When he was found dead, it was first thought it might be suicide, but soon became apparent that it wasn't. Due to the nature of his job, Garrett had many enemies and it is up to Robbie and McKenzie to find out who felt threatened enough by Garrett to kill him.

Even though Parker could have used the synesthesia angle as a dominant device in the story, it was kept in the background most of the time which made it more powerful. It was an interesting trait that added to the story. I really enjoyed Robbie as a character. He was multi-dimensional with his devotion to his job and to his failing marriage trying to make sense of life. I was hooked into the story from the first page and I had trouble putting the book down. Highly Recommended.


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