by C. J. Box
First published 2017
Investigator Cassie Dewell has spent three years tracking a serial killer called The Lizard King. This trucker targets prostitutes at truck stops across the country. Cassie works for the Bakken County sheriff's department in North Dakota and believes she has crafted the perfect trap. She lures the killer and his truck to a depot where six undercover officers wait, including her fiancé Ian. The operation collapses catastrophically. Cassie takes the blame and loses her job. An investigation into her conduct begins immediately. Meanwhile, Kyle Westergaard disappears. This troubled teenager has been under Cassie's protection, and his grandmother pleads with her to find him. Kyle claims he left for a planned adventure, but Cassie suspects something darker. With no job and no official authority, she agrees to search for Kyle while secretly planning another attempt to capture The Lizard King. Cassie now works alone, cut off from police resources and support. Kyle's disappearance and the serial killer investigation begin to intersect in unexpected ways. Cassie must rely entirely on her own skills to take down a calculating murderer while finding a missing boy and preserving what remains of her integrity.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: investigative-journalism, redemption, undercover-operation
Setting: Bakken County, North Dakota
Period: contemporary
340 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: violence