by Ace Atkins
Part of Spenser, book 4
First published 1987
Harvey Shepard has problems. The Cape Cod businessman lost $250,000 on a bad real estate deal. A loan shark wants his money. Now Shepard's wife Pam has vanished, and he hires Boston private investigator Spenser to track her down. Spenser takes the case expecting a routine missing person job. He finds Pam without much trouble. The real problem starts when he discovers she's wanted for bank robbery and murder. Spenser must navigate Cape Cod's criminal networks while protecting his client and uncovering the truth about Pam's involvement in violent crime. The former boxer turned detective faces moral choices that test his loyalty to clients against his sense of justice.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-dilemma, mystery, private-investigator
Setting: Boston, Cape Cod
Period: contemporary
224 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Dell
Content warnings: violence