by Ace Atkins
Part of Spenser, book 49
First published 2022
Boston private investigator Spenser faces an unusual assignment when Carolina Garcia-Ramirez's chief of staff asks for help. The young congresswoman has built her career challenging the establishment with her progressive positions on race, poverty, health care, and environmental issues. Now she's running for reelection in a heated primary against an old guard opponent. Death threats have been pouring in from hundreds of sources, but Garcia-Ramirez treats them as background noise. She's experienced the hostility that women of color in politics routinely face. An FBI agent sees it differently, warning Spenser that this time the danger is real. Spenser's investigation leads him to The Minutemen, an extremist organization run by Bishop Graves, a Harvard-educated social media influencer who promotes white supremacy and toxic masculinity. Graves denies involvement in the threats against Garcia-Ramirez. As the primary election approaches, the threats transform into an active conspiracy to kill the congresswoman. Spenser teams up with his partner Hawk and an unexpected ally to keep Garcia-Ramirez alive. The case tests Spenser's unwavering moral principles in a political landscape where violence lurks behind ideological differences.
Genres: mystery, crime, action, political-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Boston, Harvard
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Kindle Edition · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: racism, violence