by Odin Knudsen (Author)
In this lighthearted murder mystery set amongst the immigrant community in Alexandria, a suburb of Washington DC, the body of a Syrian is found in a trash bin. The body may be linked to a series of murders. But the Alexandria Police are hamstrung. Frank Valencia, a star homicide detective, is suspended, and is in deep trouble having shot the son of a rich and influential developer. Demoted to a desk job in missing persons, he is aided in proving his innocence and in pursuing the murderer by an unlikely cast of characters: an ex-sumo wrestler and financial wizard, Frank's Syrian mistress, a Hezbollah enforcer friendly with the Israelis, and a couple of Ecuadorian garbage collectors. Frank gets in deeper trouble as his unconventional allies drag him into legal and political quagmires while the killer seeks additional victims.