Scam at Higgins Canyon is a fast-paced thriller set in modern-day San Francisco, where Jack Rhodes, a forensic data analyst with a past riddled with personal tragedy, is drawn into an investigation that blurs the lines between conspiracy theory and criminal fact. After being approached by Tommy Griggs, a former military man grieving the suspicious death of a close friend, Jack finds himself navigating murky dealings involving construction companies, veterans, shady bar staff, and a patchwork of old friendships and new threats. The story unfolds with scenes ranging from dive bar brawls and emotional reckonings to intricate digital sleuthing and philosophical musings about loyalty, justice, and memory.

Mackay’s voice is dry, often funny, sometimes poetic, and surprisingly introspective. He doesn’t just tell a story, he sits with it. The dialogue is snappy and real. The prose veers between gritty and lyrical, painting San Francisco with a worn, lived-in brush that feels nostalgic and alive at once. The characters are layered, flawed, often a bit lost, and it works. Jack isn’t your typical hard-boiled hero. He’s sharp and measured, but there’s a sadness beneath all that quiet competence. And the side characters from the chaotic Madam Li to the old army guys drowning their grief in tequila feel like people you’ve met in a bar at 1 a.m.

The plot feels realistic. There’s no grand twist, no explosive climax, just the slow, methodical piecing together of something quietly wrong. And that’s where Mackay leans into an idea I appreciated: that real scams, real deaths, real betrayals, don’t need Hollywood endings. They just need someone to pay attention. It made me think more than it thrilled me, which, to be honest, I didn’t expect, and ended up liking.

Mackay’s writing style reminded me of early Michael Connelly mixed with the gritty introspection of Raymond Chandler and the modern, character-driven pacing of Tana French. If you like character-driven mysteries with heart and grit, stories that hang out in the gray areas and don’t rush the truth, then Scam at Higgins Canyon is a gem. It’s a book for people who don’t mind sitting with uncertainty, who appreciate when a mystery’s biggest revelation isn’t about a killer but about the world we live in.

Pages: 341 | ASIN : B0DTFLZMNC