by Al Lamanda
First published 2013
State prosecutor Carly Simms wakes up in a motel room with blood on her hands and a dead man beside her. She remembers nothing from the night before, especially not plunging a knife into the victim's heart. With all evidence pointing to her guilt, Simms turns to John Bekker, the battered private investigator who starred in the Edgar Award finalist novel Sunset. Bekker takes the case despite the overwhelming evidence against his old friend. His investigation leads him to discover that the murder victim grew up in a Utah orphanage. Soon Bekker uncovers a chilling pattern: other young men from the same institution are being killed across the country. As Bekker connects these murders and closes in on the real killer, the investigation turns personal. The murderer targets Bekker and his family, forcing the detective into a deadly chase where only one person will survive.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Utah
274 pages · Paperback · CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Content warnings: murder, violence