Part of Harry Stoner Mystery, book 4
First published 1994
Harry Stoner takes what seems like a routine case. Robbie Segal, a bright but sheltered teenager, has disappeared from her modest home. Her frantic mother wants the private investigator to bring her daughter back safely. Stoner expects to track down another runaway kid and return her home within days. The investigation should end quietly, without complications or danger. But the case transforms into something far more sinister. Stoner uncovers a savage killing that somehow connects to the missing girl. The murder becomes his new lead, his best hope of finding Robbie alive. What started as a simple search through Cincinnati neighborhoods now forces Stoner into darker territory. He cannot walk away from either the brutal crime or the desperate mother counting on him. Something fundamental in his nature compels him forward, even as the violence escalates around him.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-detective, missing-person, reluctant-hero
Setting: Cincinnati
Period: 20th-century
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Dell
Content warnings: violence