First published 2006
Tess Monaghan thinks she has landed a comfortable consulting job with the local newspaper, analyzing cold cases like the unsolved murder of a federal prosecutor. The work stays theoretical until her boyfriend Crow brings home a street kid who unknowingly possesses crucial information about the prosecutor's death. Tess promises to protect the boy's identity at all costs. When one of his friends dies in what looks like mistaken identity, the stakes escalate. Federal agents press harder to learn the boy's name, willing to bend rules and apply pressure that surprises even seasoned investigator Tess. She faces felony charges while Crow disappears with his young charge, leaving Tess unable to hand over the kid even if she wanted to. The case forces Tess to confront how far government authorities will go to achieve their goals, testing her loyalties and putting everyone she cares about in danger.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Baltimore
Period: Contemporary
352 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: violence