First published 2003
Derek Strange and Terry Quinn take what seems like a straightforward missing person case. The private investigators, both former D.C. police officers, need to locate a fourteen-year-old girl who ran away from her suburban home. Their search leads them into the city's prostitution underworld, where they discover the teenager has been forced into sex work. The case becomes dangerous when Strange and Quinn realize they must confront the pimp who controls her. This criminal operates with ruthless efficiency and views their investigation as a direct challenge to his authority. The former cops find themselves outmatched by an adversary more violent and cunning than anyone they encountered during their days on the police force. As they dig deeper into the case, Strange and Quinn must decide how far they're willing to go to save one girl from a world that destroys children.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Washington D.C.
Period: 21st-century
385 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: child-abuse, sexual-assault, trafficking