First published 2017
Clay Edison examines bodies to determine natural causes versus foul play. When he arrives at Walter Rennert's house, the death appears straightforward. The reclusive psychology professor lies at the bottom of his stairs, apparently killed by alcohol and heart disease. But Rennert's daughter Tatiana refuses to accept the obvious explanation. She convinces Clay that someone murdered her father. Clay digs deeper into Rennert's past and uncovers a trail of scandal and violence. The professor conducted an experiment that went wrong and led to a student's brutal death. Rennert became a broken man who may have been targeted for revenge. When Clay discovers that another colleague died in nearly identical circumstances, he questions the official records. His investigation pulls him beyond his normal duties as a coroner. Meanwhile, his relationship with Tatiana grows into something that crosses professional boundaries. The closer they become, the more Clay commits to finding her father's killer. His search takes him into the darkest aspects of human nature as he follows a twisting trail of evidence.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
385 pages · Hardcover · Ballantine Books