Part of Michael Bennett, book 10
First published 2017
Detective Michael Bennett takes his family to a quiet Maine town, seeking refuge after a personal crisis involving his son. The peaceful vacation spot harbors dark secrets. Young people are disappearing from the streets, victims of a deadly vice that local authorities struggle to contain. When police discover a horrific crime scene deep in the forest, they turn to the visiting New York detective for help. Bennett throws himself into the case, hoping to make amends for his recent failures as a father. The locals refuse to cooperate with the outsider, and more bodies surface. Bennett finds an unexpected ally in a homeless girl with a troubled past. She becomes his only reliable source as he hunts for the elusive killer terrorizing the community. Together they race to identify the perpetrator before more victims fall. Bennett must solve the case while confronting his own guilt about missing the warning signs in his son's behavior.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, redemption
Setting: Maine, New York
369 pages · Kindle Edition · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: violence