A fictional story of real reporter "Buzz" Page and his death for daring to write about the crime and corruption by the mafia with ties to politicians and local celebrities in 1970's Phoenix, Arizona. Great suspense awaits and some things left me wondering where it would lead, like why was someone wanting a 40 yr. old cold case solved then killing people who were associated with the case? Good page turner with lots of unexpected twists. I enjoyed this one.

I always learn something fascinating about Phoenix's history when I read one of Jon Talton's David Mapstone mysteries. This time Talton works his magic on the very real 1978 car bombing death of reporter Don Bolles-- something that happened shortly after I moved to Phoenix. The author can still give me thrills when I read about an historian's excitement upon uncovering primary sources, and there are so many layers to this investigation and so many well-known names that I was compelled to keep reading faster and faster.

Talton does not let up on the tension or the action in The Bomb Shelter, and there's even some mood-lightening humor from time to time. It's fun to speculate about how close he came to solving the Bolles murder. His main characters-- Mapstone, wife Lindsey, Mike Peralta, and new addition Malik Jones-- are well-drawn and feel almost as though they're members of my family. Especially Mapstone. With his constant whining about the heat here in Phoenix, I want to look at him like he's my cousin Steve and say, "You're a native Phoenician. It gets hot here. Suck it up (and shut up)!"

This is a series I've loved since the first book, Concrete Desert. Talton is a gifted storyteller, and I love reading about the characters he's created and learning a bit about the fascinating history of my adopted hometown. It will be interesting to see where he takes his readers next.

I love David Mapstone mysteries and always look forward to a new one. This one does not disappoint as our Sheriff-Historian dwells into a 40 year cold case involving the murder of a journalist that opens a whole can of worms with various bad guys slithering out, including the mob and crooked politicians.

Highly recommended!

This book is due to be released in May, 2018.