DEll Shannon wrote over 20 books in the Luis Mendoza series. The early ones were okay but focused on one crime only; the last few were pretty much formula.But Mark of Murder was written when the series was at its height. It is an excellent police procedural. Medoza and his officers are well portrayed; the matter of having several crimes to handle at one time is made clear. I find that a plus---rarely in real life does an officer have only one case going.Dell Shannon also has a good gift for dialogue and some interesting twists.Mark of MUrder is one of the three best of hers I ever read--the other two are The Death Bringers and With a Vengeance.Therefore, should you happen upon a Luis Mendoza mystery in your library or used bookstore, you might want to give one a try. Overall, I would rate most of the series a solid 3 stars---the three titles noted get 4.