I just finished The Passage by Alex Sigmore, and I have questions. Not about the plot (that was airtight) but about who Emily Slate ticked off to get transferred to the New Mexico desert, where murder seems to be the local pastime.
This is book 16 in the Emily Slate series, and it might just be one of my favorites so far. It's fast-paced, gritty, and leans more into crime thriller than the usual crime fiction vibe of the earlier books. You can feel the urgency in every chapter. A woman’s body turns up out in the desert, and what looks like an isolated murder spirals into something way more sinister. I won’t give spoilers, but let’s just say the stakes get high, the bullets start flying, and Emily has no time to unpack her suitcase.
What I love about Emily is that she’s sharp, driven, and just cynical enough to make me laugh, usually at moments when laughing is absolutely the wrong thing to do. She doesn’t waste time on office politics, especially when lives are on the line, and I respect that. New Mexico proves to be a hostile environment in more ways than one, but she holds her own like the pro she is.
Sigmore’s writing is tight. Every chapter moves the story forward. There’s no fluff, just tension, action, and clever reveals. And the desert setting adds this bleak, isolating backdrop that matches the emotional tone of the case. You can practically feel the dry heat and hear the buzz of danger coming from just over the next ridge.
If you like a no-nonsense lead, murder in the heat, and just enough danger to keep you flipping pages at 2 a.m., The Passage delivers.
Bring water. And maybe a weapon.
