Life is full of tragedies, big and small, trivial and deadly. The case of Janelle Vonn is one of the latter kind that arose in the arid heat of Tustin, California in 1968, the time of Commies, Richard Nixon, Timothy Leary and Charles Manson. But, before it became a "case," the three Becker brothers, Nick, Andy and David, spotted the girl's bruises when they tangled with her brothers, the Vonn boys, a clan of bullies. Janelle was 5.

It took just a few years for her to grow into the kind of California Girl who had an immobilizing affect on any male in a room with her, though the Beckers' sense of protectiveness remained constant. More years later, after she confides to them that her brothers had been forcing her to have sex with them, she becomes the victim of murder.

The discovery of her beheaded body in an abandoned orange-packing plant brings a flood of memories back to newbie homicide cop Nick Becker on his first case. He recalls her natural beauty and hard-masked vulnerability. All three brothers pursue the killer, each in their own way, making individual contributions to the case while combatting memories, emotions and failed opportunities.

It's a case of secrets that have lain dormant but are now aroused in the wake of Nick's relentless investigation. Ugly secrets. Life altering ones that affected the girl, developing dependence on the men who came into her life... and her bed.

Nick's partner "Lucky" Lobdell, a veteran cop who's been around long enough to take a pragmatic approach to the disparate values of justice and law enforcement, becomes a vital player when the evidence finally points to one of Janelle's boyfriends, the chillingly dangerous Cory Bonnett now holed up in Mexico.

But, even this criminals' pursuit and capture doesn't bring real finality, as we learn when the last act takes us into current times and such things as DNA sampling.

Parker engages us with family parallels and into a miasma of life where there is no escape from evil, corruption and criminality. Small lies, small coverups, and guilt that lasts a lifetime are examined, stirred and served out in agonizing but gripping detail by this mystery master. His device of shifting focus to each of the brothers in turn, however, has benefit and loss. It enriches the depth and originality while, at the same time, dissipates the story's dramatic energy until it hovers in lingering moments of thinning interest. In the final analysis, though, it's worth hanging in.