Part of Butch Karp, book 22
First published 2010
District Attorney Butch Karp faces his toughest case yet as Sharif Jabbar sits in the Tombs awaiting trial. The Harlem mosque founder and Islam convert stands accused of plotting a terrorist attack against New York City. Charges were dismissed once before, but Karp won't let that happen again. Defense attorney Megan O'Dowd fights back with revolutionary fervor, convinced the NYPD is framing her client. Meanwhile, Karp's wife Marlene Ciampi pursues her own investigation into the murder of socialite Michelle Oakley. The evidence against street vendor Dirty Warren doesn't add up. Marlene's only ally is David Grale, the unstable leader of the Mole People who knows the city's darkest secrets. As Marlene digs deeper, she uncovers connections between Oakley's death and another disappearance, both tied to an elite prostitution ring serving wealthy clients. Karp and Marlene soon realize that powerful figures throughout the city harbor secrets that could destroy them. Everyone from Jabbar to the city's untouchable elite has something to hide.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, legal-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation
Setting: Harlem, New York City, The Tombs
Period: Contemporary
368 pages · Hardcover · Gallery Books
Content warnings: explicit-sexual-content, violence