by Kevin Powers
First published 2023
Arman Bajalan takes his morning swim on a Norfolk beach when he discovers a dead body. The former Iraqi interpreter survived an assassination attempt that killed his family and now works maintenance at the Sea Breeze Motel under US protection. The corpse convinces him his past has caught up with him. Detective Catherine Wheel and her rookie partner find only a bus ticket on the victim, leading them to journalist Sally Ewell. Sally investigates a defense corporation pursuing a massive government contract while grieving her own Iraq War losses. More bodies pile up around Arman as the investigation spirals through false leads toward shocking revelations. The team races to expose the truth and protect Arman's life, even as the cost threatens to destroy them all. This thriller weaves together the lingering trauma of war, corporate corruption, and the price of survival.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, false-leads, found-family, race-against-time
Setting: Iraq, Norfolk, Sea Breeze Motel, United States
Period: 21st-century
Audio CD · Blackstone Pub
Content warnings: death, graphic-violence, murder