Part of Lucy Kincaid, book 8
First published 2014
Lucy Kincaid thought Operation Heatwave would be routine police work. The FBI's Violent Crimes unit in San Antonio assigned her team to round up bail jumpers with outstanding warrants. When Lucy and her partners arrive to arrest the Sanchez brothers, George and Jaime, for murder and drug trafficking charges, she discovers something far worse than expected. The brothers have converted their basement into a prison for children they steal for cartel buyers. George gets captured, but Jaime escapes into the Texas underground. Lucy pursues the fugitive as more evidence surfaces about their trafficking network. When George agrees to testify against his brother, someone kills him in jail before he can talk. With her official investigation blocked, Lucy turns to her boyfriend Sean Rogan and his mercenary brother Kane for help. Together they target the crime boss controlling the operation. Lucy knows she risks her FBI career and their lives, but more children will die unless she stops the trafficking ring.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: San Antonio, Texas
Period: 21st-century
416 pages · Paperback · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: child-abuse, kidnapping, trafficking