A Flower in the Desert — Walter Satterthwait

BAD VIBES

Santa Fe private investigator Josh Croft doesn't like his new case. .. or Roy Alonzo. The actor's messy divorce had made headlines when his ex-wife, Melissa, accused him of molesting their daughter. Now, mother and child have disappeared, and Melissa's sister is found tortured to death.

Following a trail from Beverly Hills to a remote New Mexico farming commune, Croft confronts the endless veils of secrecy behind which Melissa Alonzo appeared to live, move and hide. The FBI and Salvadoran assassins enter the picture and another woman is violently killed. It's dangerously clear Melissa is a wanted woman. Croft hopes he can get her while she's still alive.