The Loneliest Places isn’t just a terrific debut, it’s authentic L.A. noir… In the tradition of Nathaniel West and James M. Cain, Keith Edward Vaughn reminds us that the brighter the sunlight, the darker the shadows.
– Joseph Schneider, critically-acclaimed author of the Detective Tully Jarsdel mysteriesA gritty, assured mystery debut, right up to its satisfying final notes.
– Kirkus ReviewsYears since inheriting his famous father’s private investigation agency, Ellis Dunaway is a man out of time. He is also out of money, clients, and control of his drug habit. A simple favor for his coke dealer-finding out what happened to the guy he let stay in his Malibu rental house-sets off a series of increasingly violent encounters as the missing man turns out to be connected to one of L.A.’s most powerful families and a brutal cartel called the Black Fist. Traversing the city in his father’s classic Porsche-from yacht clubs to shopping malls to soundstages-the case gets progressively complicated and personal, demanding that Ellis confront his failures as a boyfriend, a one-time screenwriter, a detective, and a son.When he discovers that his father was investigating the Black Fist before his sudden, suspicious death, everything changes. Or, worse yet, nothing changes, and history repeats itself.