Part of Inspector Banks, book 11
First published 2001
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks faces an impossible choice when Chief Constable Jimmy Riddle asks for help. Riddle's teenage daughter has run away, and her nude photos have appeared on a website. Banks knows this is a trap. Riddle has spent years trying to destroy Banks' career and reputation. But Banks cannot ignore a missing child case, especially as a father himself. He follows the trail from Yorkshire into the crowded streets of London. The investigation takes a deadly turn when a series of brutal murders begins. Banks finds himself dragged into Riddle's private world and buried secrets from the past. The case forces him to navigate between his professional duty and personal survival. As the body count rises, Banks discovers that some enemies will use any weapon to bring down their target, even their own children.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, moral-dilemma, personal-stakes
Setting: London, Yorkshire
Period: Contemporary
448 pages · Mass Market Paperback · William Morrow Paperbacks
Content warnings: child-abuse, child-death, graphic-violence