In T. Renee’s new novel, A Quarter Short Compassion, a desperate young woman from Washington, D.C. finds her fate intertwined with those of two New Orleans’ cops.

Chancey Morris goes to New Orleans on vacation, only to find herself the sole survivor of a mass shooting in a grocery store. She tries to explain to Detective Lorenzo Ducet that she was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he is convinced she’s hiding something.

This case is especially personal for Lorenzo and his partner, Detective Israel Saint James. One of their own, Officer Victoria Belgrade, was among the shooting’s victims. They allow Chancey to return home to the D.C. area, but soon follow her there to continue their investigation.

Chancey, who’s been running from her own dark past for a long time, allows herself to grow close to Israel. But the mastermind behind Victoria’s shooting is closing in on them, and in an action-packed finale, they find themselves fighting for their lives.

Renee particularly excels at character development. The novel’s relationships (platonic and romantic) feel authentic and lived-in. Chancey’s almost daughterly affection for, and occasional frustration with, neighborhood elder Mr. Otis is heartwarming without being saccharine. And Lorenzo’s and Israel’s odd-couple banter – although it covers standard ground, like eating habits and romantic prospects – is sure to charm. Chancey and Israel’s tender romance feels like the icing on the cake.

Renee’s plot is also gripping, carried along by the deep characterization rather than slowed by it. Especially compelling is a plot twist about halfway through that upends readers’ assumptions. Some of the revelations come a bit fast and furious, but they don’t feel too unrealistic given the tightknit New Orleans neighborhood where much of the action unfolds.

Overall, A Quarter Short Compassion is sure to please fans of character-driven crime fiction.