From the Dust

 

From the Dust by David Swinson
3/31/26; 320 pages
Little, Brown and Company 

From the Dust by David Swinson is a highly recommended murder mystery/police procedural set in a small town in Upstate rural New York.

Retired police detective Graham Sanderson spent years in Washington, DC, as a homicide detective. After his father's death and that of his wife three years earlier, Graham moves into his father's home to look after his brother, Tommy, who suffers from PTSD and agoraphobia. He was hoping for a quiet, peaceful retirement when the local police chief, William Finn, a family friend, asks him to assist brand new detective Mike Gottert with two murders that seem to be connected. Both bodies were found with the same kind of stab wounds. Graham reluctantly agrees to help.

It is always a pleasure to read a well-written police procedural where evidence is collected, people are interviewed, and all the clues are logically uncovered and followed up on as the investigation proceeds. The plot moves at an even pace, picking up toward the end. There aren't multiple wild twists or unbelievable developments along the way, yet suspense rises as the investigation proceeds. You will understand that this rural area is not somewhere where multiple murders are common, but people will also know a bit more about what their neighbors are up to, where they go, and who they see, so a connection between victims is quickly uncovered.

Graham and Tommy are interesting characters and both have had complicated backgrounds which aren't completely revealed here, but may be in a future novel. We know Tommy suffered from abuse at the hands of their mother. Graham also starts a relationship with the woman who owns the bakery in town. 

From the Dust is a great choice for those who appreciate procedurals set in a small town where a crime is logically investigated. Thanks to Little, Brown and Company for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.