Part of Mario Balzic Detective Mystery, book 11
First published 1996
Mario Balzic receives orders to slash five more positions from his police department. The cuts leave him with barely enough officers to patrol the town. Balzic knows his community still needs protection from crime and disorder. He refuses to let budget constraints compromise public safety. The veteran police chief considers forming his own private security force to fill the gaps left by official cutbacks. Balzic must choose between following orders from above and protecting the citizens who depend on him. His decision will test his principles and define his legacy as he faces the end of his career in law enforcement. This final installment of the Mario Balzic series brings the small-town Pennsylvania police chief's story to its conclusion.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Pennsylvania
Period: 20th-century
320 pages · Paperback · Mysterious Press