A revenge tale spanning Vancouver's grit and glamour, The Chapel of Retribution by Glenn Burwell follows Detective Robert Lui and his team as they grapple with a series of unsettling incidents in a large botanical garden. Recently transferred to Major Crimes from the Gang Taskforce, Robert must contend with a new boss and the politics of engaging with the powerful developer community, while still grieving the death of his wife and being a single parent to two teens. It is clear that someone wants to ruin Eden Gardens and its owner, Sam Greene, but the motive - and the perpetrator - prove difficult to identify. As the team works doggedly to uncover both, things escalate.

The architectural background of author Burwell serves him well in setting the foundations of the story. He has a deep understanding of the development industry, its players, and its impacts, which shows through in both character and plot. His experience also yields clear, easily visualized pictures of Vancouver. His descriptions of the city are engaging, and evoke the tension of a changing metropolis struggling with wealth and poverty, which underscores the pressure on Robert and his officers as they delve into the shadows of the property development world.

Robert Lui is a strong lead, thoughtful and methodical, two traits that serve him well with this puzzle. He is protective of his people, taking responsibility when a member of his team may end up in hot water, and is liberal in recognizing and praising good work. Most of this time, he chooses to be the one to deal directly with his superior, aware that Steve Christie has reached his level of incompetence as head of the unit, shielding the team from Christie. Outside of work, Robert makes time for his children, ensuring he is home for the evening meal most days and that he is there to get them off to school in the morning. He also regularly consults Susan, his deceased wife, about the kids, carrying on an imagined conversation to solicit her advice on concerns his has about them. Robert is an interesting and sympathetic character, worth getting to know better in future books.

Camille Laurent is also an interesting character, who unfortunately is not as well developed as Robert. One of the officers assigned to Robert's team, Camille is a French Canadian transplant formerly with the Montreal police who quickly establishes herself as smart and hard-working, and while there are hints she is equal in skill to Robert it is not fully showcased. Burwell relies on a tired trope here, as he does with the incompetent, interfering superior officer: Camille and Robert share a mutual attraction. Although this offers some interesting possibilities, Camille deserves to be developed further into the strong, effective character she shows glimmers of here.

The book is particularly good at capturing the necessity of the daily grind of police work to get to a result. And it wasn't boring. Surprisingly, the best part of the story is after the perpetrator is identified. The work of tying all the loose ends together is not often shown in novels, and this is a delightful addition. Unfortunately, the beginning of the book is not as effective. There is an unnecessary prologue, which does not add to the story in any way.

Overall, The Chapel of Retribution is a bit of a slow burn that is definitely worth reading. With strong lead characters and a puzzle that is solved by determined police procedure rather than the opaque working's of a super sleuth's mind, it is a satisfying read. This is an approach that, with some further character development, can yield a solid, pleasurable series.