Part of Alex Delaware, book 2
First published 2003
Dr. Alex Delaware faces a medical nightmare when five-year-old Woody Swope disappears from his hospital bed. The boy suffers from a terminal illness that requires immediate treatment, but his parents have fled with him into hiding. Delaware teams up with detective Milo Sturgis to track down the missing family before time runs out. Their investigation pulls them into Los Angeles's criminal underground, a world where desperate people buy and sell anything to survive. Drug dealers, sex traffickers, and con artists all seem connected to the Swope family's flight. Delaware discovers that the parents' motives run deeper than simple fear of medical procedures. As he digs into their background, he uncovers secrets that explain their desperate choice. The clock ticks down while Delaware and Sturgis navigate this dangerous terrain. They must find Woody before his condition becomes irreversible, but the people hiding him will do anything to stay in the shadows.
Genres: medical, crime, detective, mystery-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, race-against-time
Setting: Los Angeles
308 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: terminal-illness