Part of Lucas Davenport, book 23
First published 2013
A Minnesota political fixer opens his door before dawn and wakes up bleeding on plastic sheeting in a moving car. When the vehicle stops, he hears voices discussing whether he's still breathing before someone asks for a bat. That becomes his final moment of consciousness. Lucas Davenport starts working a different investigation entirely, but the case pulls him toward the fixer's disappearance. The trail leads him first to the Minneapolis police department, creating serious concerns about corruption within law enforcement. Then it points to something far worse: a woman whose political cunning would impress Machiavelli himself. She possesses clear vision about reshaping the world according to her design. She also commands the financial resources, cold brutality, and iron determination needed to achieve her goals. Anyone who stands between her and success becomes expendable. Davenport must navigate police department politics while pursuing a opponent who treats murder as just another tool for political advancement.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, political-thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigative-journalism
Setting: Minneapolis, Minnesota
406 pages · Hardcover · G.P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: murder, violence