Fade to Orange

The last and best novel in the Wallace Kerrigan/Pearl Seagrove mystery series contains a richly nuanced portrayal of Orange County in 1952. The author recreates various aspects of Orange, Santa Ana, Corona Del Mar, Laguna Beach, Silverado Canyon, and Catalina Island.In 1952 Kerrigan visits his oldest son Bud in Orange, where he also hopes to enjoy a clandestine vacation with his mistress, jewelry designer Pearl Seagrove. But all is not well with Bud’s family. On top of that, his old friend Ed Sanchez, now the acting Police Chief of Orange, asks Wally to investigate the “Matinee Killer,” a serial murderer who is strangling young women at local movie theaters. Kerrigan learns that these killings are apparently triggered by old movies shown on a Los Angeles television station. Clues point toward Silverado Canyon. That odd community may harbor a second killer, one who eluded Kerrigan in Voluptuous Death and now seems to have resurfaced in the area. After a brief interlude on Catalina, things come to a head, and Wally and Pearl must battle a vengeful psychopath.