by Ace Atkins
Part of Spenser, book 34
First published 2006
A woman walks into Spenser's Boston office, and the private investigator almost doesn't recognize her. April Kyle was once a teenage runaway trapped in prostitution whom Spenser rescued from the Combat Zone decades ago. Now she's a composed businesswoman running an upscale call girl service in Back Bay. She needs Spenser's help again. Unknown men are trying to force her out of her business, an all-female operation she's built from nothing. Spenser and his partner Hawk dig into the threat and uncover connections to organized crime boss Tony Marcus and a plan to expand April's operation nationwide. As Spenser investigates, he realizes April isn't telling him everything. The woman he once saved may be playing a deeper game than she admits. Spenser must decide how far he'll go to protect someone who might be manipulating him.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Back Bay, Boston, Combat Zone
Period: Decades Ago
291 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Adult