Part of Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, book 18
First published 2009
Lieutenant Peter Decker receives a rare 3 a.m. call that sends him to the exclusive Coyote Ranch compound. Someone has broken in and murdered billionaire developer Guy Kaffey, his wife, and four employees in a vicious shooting. Kaffey was a prominent figure who built shopping malls across Southern California with his sons and brother Mace, earning recognition for his charitable donations worth millions. Decker and his homicide team quickly realize the brutal killings point to an inside job. While Decker focuses on the complex investigation, he feels relieved that his wife Rina Lazarus won't become entangled in this dangerous case. But a chance meeting with a court translator seeking Rina's assistance pulls her directly into the deadly center of her husband's murder investigation. The case forces both Decker and Rina to navigate the treacherous world surrounding the Kaffey family fortune.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Coyote Ranch, Southern California
Period: 21st-century
400 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: murder, violence