by Susan Dunlap
First published 2014
Kiernan O'Shaughnessy built her reputation as a sharp medical examiner who never flinched at the worst cases. After four successful years, the coroner's office fired her without warning. Now she runs an exclusive private investigation service in La Jolla, California, specializing in suspicious deaths. Her fees are high enough to fund a cherry red Triumph and an ex-NFL houseman. A powerful figure in the Roman Catholic Church becomes her newest client. A young priest has been found hanged at Mission San Leo in Phoenix, Arizona. The troubled clergyman's death threatens to create a major scandal. The bishop wants answers but refuses to involve the police. He hires Kiernan to determine whether the priest killed himself or died accidentally. The church hierarchy expects discretion above all else. They want Kiernan to work quietly and contain any damaging revelations. But her investigation uncovers secrets that demand exposure. The truth she discovers will force her to choose between her client's wishes and her own conscience.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conscience-vs-client, enemies-to-lovers
Setting: La Jolla, California, Phoenix, Arizona, Mission San Leo
Period: 21st-century
310 pages · Hardcover · Open Road Media Mystery & Thri