First published 2011
At his daughter Sarah's pre-wedding celebration, former private investigator Moe Prager receives an unexpected visit from his ex-wife and former partner Carmella Melendez. Carmella needs help with a case that has the NYPD turning a blind eye. Her estranged sister Alta, an EMT with the Fire Department, has been brutally killed. Alta and her partner Maya Watson had recently made headlines for refusing to assist a dying man at an upscale restaurant downtown. Now Alta is dead and no one wants to investigate. Moe takes the case partly to help Carmella and partly to escape his own health crisis. Maya Watson refuses to cooperate, and other witnesses stay silent. As Moe digs deeper, he uncovers corruption that reaches into city bureaucracy. Sexual harassment, blackmail, and greed create a web of secrets. Moe must determine whether this institutional rot connects to Alta's murder or if her killer had different motives entirely.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation, personal-stakes
Setting: NYPD, New York
Period: Contemporary
309 pages · Paperback · Gallery Books
Content warnings: death, murder, violence