Part of Harry Stoner Mystery, book 5
First published 1994
Harry Stoner faces a case where the obvious answer feels wrong. A wealthy businessman dies of apparent heart failure, but something nags at the Cincinnati detective. The man's family accepts the natural causes verdict too quickly. His business partners seem relieved rather than grieved. Stoner digs deeper into the victim's final days, uncovering financial troubles and personal betrayals that paint a different picture. As he peels back layers of deception, Stoner discovers that natural death can be the perfect cover for murder. The investigation forces him to question everything he thought he knew about the case. In a city where money talks and secrets kill, Stoner must prove that sometimes the most natural thing is the most unnatural act of all.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigation, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Cincinnati
Period: 20th-century
Mass Market Paperback · Dell