Sometimes it’s the tiniest detail, the little words yes or no, the almost-nothing that totally changes the world. LAPD Captain Josie Corsino’s world is set to change in Connie Dial’s latest entry to this series, a change that surprises in its suddenness, but makes perfect sense and leads to logical conclusions. Meanwhile the world of a cop who’s been dismissed for failing in his job will surely change. The civilian member of the board that dismissed him is murdered—the biggest change of all. And the scene is set to chase a serial killer, a potential cop killer, or both. Opinions of characters—who can be trusted, who’s out for themselves, who will help and who’s in the way—all are set to be transformed as well in this fast-moving, fast-changing novel.

More than a police procedural, Warning Shots focusses on Josie’s viewpoint, her strength of character, and her faith in those she cares for as they help her study the clues. It’s a faith well-placed in some cases, maybe less so in others. It’s a faith that the tiniest detail, when discovered, will shatter or strengthen. In Warning Shots, the reader can follow those warning signs to their natural ends.

There are no simply good and bad characters in Connie Dial’s writing; her creations have the depth and flaws of real people; they grow through events that shape them, just as the Josie Corsino novels grow into a picture of time and place and people. Real problems fill these pages and haunt the reader, burning the barrier between imagination and hope. Josie Corsino will surely win through, but there’s mystery, betrayal and politics on the way—problems that may well find resolution in the warning shots of detail.

Disclosure: I was given a preview edition and I loved it. There again, I love the series. ( )