Rachel Howzell Hall is an accomplished author, and her newest novel, “Fog and Fury,” is the start of her first series, aptly called “Haven Thriller.” The setting is an idyllic California coastal town which some people are aiming to turn into a posh tourist destination and which has the nickname “Mayberry by the Sea.” But things are not as harmonious and peaceful as the movers and shakers in town would have people believe.

Main character Alyson (Sonny) Rush is moving to Mayberry, or rather Haven (just one letter away from Heaven), after losing her job as detective with the LAPD after a decade of service. Her mother, a well-known baker, is in the beginning stages of dementia, and Haven’s small town atmosphere, along with a job offer with her godfather’s private investigation business, make this move seem perfect. There’s also the fact that Sonny’s boyfriend, divorced wealthy entrepreneur Cooper Sutton, lives there.

This tale is replete with many uncomfortable juxtapositions, including the scenic beautify of the Pacific coast next to the violence and deaths that occur in Haven, just like in all towns—small or not. But in Haven, it appears that there are no deaths, there is no violence, no one has drug problems, and young women don’t disappear. At least, that’s what the local paper and the real estate moguls would have everyone believe.

Sonny’s first case is that of a missing goldendoodle, one that, in fact, belongs to her boyfriend’s daughter. As soon as Sonny arrives in Haven, she faces the heartbreaking truth that her beloved boyfriend, Cooper, lied to her when he told her that he was getting a divorce and his wife was moving to San Francisco. London Sutton is very much ensconced in Haven and not leaving. In fact, she’s running for mayor of Haven.

There’s also the fact that a high school senior, Xander, has recently moved to Haven with his parents, a pastor and a scientist. He’s a brilliant Black boy, who wants to play football and study physics, an interesting mixture of unlikely passions, and his parents moved to Haven so that he could be safer than they felt he was in Oakland. Horribly, he was found dead on a running trail. And while the local police are relieved to call it a suicide, his death doesn’t appear in the local paper, and Sonny is bewildered when it appears that no investigation is being done at all. Xander’s parents ask Sonny to help them. They don’t believe it was suicide as Xander had just been accepted for an internship at a prestigious laboratory, JPL, and had much to look forward to.

As Sonny begins to investigate Figgy the goldendoodle’s disappearance by meeting the business people and residents in town, she realizes that there are strong undercurrents that are shaking the very foundation of the town. Some residents want change and are eager to support the Suttons’ goal of making Haven into a posh tourist retreat with a picture-perfect downtown and polished reputation. Others, though, don’t have the money to refurbish their businesses and are reluctant to take out exorbitant loans for repairs. They like things just as they are.

There is also the local racist, who is a butcher, owns the local firearms store, and whose son was demoted on the football team when Xander appeared. He’s also a member of a white supremacist group and becomes a suspect, at least in Sonny’s eyes, in the teen’s murder. And while Sonny is looking into the murder and the lost dog, while she is meeting the townspeople, she becomes aware that there is a young woman who has disappeared. No one talks about it except her mother. And Ivan, who was Sonny’s father’s best friend and is like a second father to her, doesn’t want the case. He also tries to discourage her from looking into Xander’s death.

Through Hall’s very capable first person narrative, we really get a sense of Sonny’s personality. She’s a good person who has been through a lot. An action she took when she was on the LAPD ended up backfiring on her, but she still thinks that she had done the right thing. And that’s important to Sonny—doing the right thing. That’s why she’s haunted by the fact that Cooper lied to her about his marriage and getting a divorce. That’s why she’s looking into Xander’s death, because no one else is and he deserves to get justice. She’s smart, she’s determined, and she’s brave. Of course, Sonny isn’t perfect, but those flaws just make her more relatable. We like her, and we can empathize with her.

The gripping first person narrative serves to illuminate Sonny’s feelings when faced with those who look upon strong, capable Black women as cocky and aggressive, and those who just don’t like racial diversity. Haven has few people of color, so Sonny and her mother stand out. The tendrils of Sonny’s investigation spread out, and soon she’s seeing threats from unknown people, mysterious text messages, and physical attacks. Hall also makes the fog, ubiquitous on the Pacific coast, an almost threatening presence. Sonny hates the fog and that which could be lurking within.

So while the start of the book is a bit slow as Hall introduces us to the characters and sets the stage for the series, the last half of the book ratchets up the suspense, and the book becomes impossible to put down. What is the fog hiding? What dark thoughts and deeds are hidden behind the pristine exteriors of the faces and storefronts of Haven? Which of the townspeople are not who they appear to be? Why was Xander killed, and why is the town so determined to cover it up? Why was Figgy taken,and why have teenage girls disappeared?

So many questions abound in this delicious, deviously detailed detective read that we are only slightly upset when only the main mystery is solved at the end. Hall cleverly leaves several of those questions for future novels, and I can’t wait to read them.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.