Part of V.I. Warshawski, book 21
First published 2022
V.I. Warshawski returns from an overnight surveillance job when her dogs bolt toward Lake Michigan's rocky shore. They discover a badly wounded teenager hidden among the stones. The girl awakens briefly to speak a single cryptic word before losing consciousness again. V.I. gets her to a hospital, but the teen disappears before doctors can identify her. The detective begins searching for the missing girl and stumbles into a web of Chicago corruption. A dangerous alliance of city powerbrokers and organized crime figures wants the teenager dead. They will eliminate anyone who protects her, including V.I. herself. The investigation unfolds as Chicago slowly reopens after pandemic lockdowns. V.I. must navigate the city's emerging underworld while racing to save both the mysterious girl and her own life. The case exposes the rot festering beneath Chicago's neighborhoods during a time of crisis.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-detective, dangerous-alliance, race-against-time
Setting: Chicago, Lake Michigan
Period: Pandemic
400 pages · Hardcover · William Morrow
Content warnings: violence