Part of Alexandra Cooper, book 12
First published 2010
Young women from a wrecked Ukraine freighter wash up on Rockaway Beach. The contraband cargo tells a grim story of human trafficking, but New York ADA Alexandra Cooper discovers something worse. One victim died before she ever touched the Atlantic's dark waters. Meanwhile, a New York congressman falls from grace in a sex scandal that dominates headlines. Cooper sees no connection between the cases until she digs deeper. The freighter victim and the congressman's lover share a link that cannot be coincidence. Cooper realizes these seemingly separate cases form part of a larger conspiracy. Her investigation uncovers a secret that will destroy New York's political establishment. The revelation puts Cooper herself in danger and confronts her with the most disturbing case of her career.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: conspiracy, investigative-journalism
Setting: Rockaway Beach, New York
Period: 21st-century
400 pages · Hardcover · Dutton
Content warnings: trafficking, violence