"The Valhalla Project is a fast-moving mystery thriller that begins when nineteen-year-old David Jacobs and his dog, Scout, discover a woman’s body in Pelham Bay Park. David is autistic, deeply attached to routine, and poorly equipped to handle aggressive questioning, which makes him an easy target for investigators eager to close the case. After he’s rushed into a plea, private investigator Dan Burnett and attorney Seth Bodner begin looking into the evidence. Their work leads from a suspicious murder investigation to a proposed data center in Valhalla, New York, where corporate ambition, environmental concerns, bribery, and political pressure are tightly connected.

David gives the opening chapters their emotional weight. His precise way of noticing the world is established before the mystery takes over, and his relationship with Scout feels warm and specific. When he finds the victim, the narration captures his shock in a simple line: “The word dead would not settle into place.” His experience in jail is especially unsettling because the book has already shown how much he depends on familiar places, predictable patterns, and the comfort Scout provides.

Corporate executive Richard Halverson brings calculated arrogance to the business side of the plot, while environmental attorney Laura McKenna gives the conflict a personal cost.

Its strongest qualities are David’s sympathetic characterization, the steady accumulation of evidence, and the way a local murder expands into a broader story of corporate and political corruption. The conclusion provides satisfying accountability while still acknowledging the damage David has suffered. It’s the kind of mystery that keeps moving because every answer uncovers a larger problem, and its concern for fairness gives the investigation more meaning than solving the crime alone."

—Literary Titan Review, 5 Stars