Part of Paul Madriani, book 5
First published 2001
Paul Madriani has relocated to San Diego when elderly Jonah Hale seeks his help. Jonah and his wife have been raising eight-year-old granddaughter Amanda because their daughter Jessica battles drug addiction. Everything changes when Jonah wins millions in the state lottery. Jessica suddenly wants custody of Amanda, demanding money in exchange for maternal rights. When Jonah refuses, Jessica accuses him of sexual abuse. Feminist activist Zo Suade takes Jessica's case, specializing in making custody clients and their children vanish. True to pattern, Jessica and Amanda disappear within a week. Then Zo turns up dead. Police target Jonah as the primary suspect in the murder. Madriani must navigate false accusations, missing persons, and courtroom battles to prove his client's innocence while uncovering what really happened to the missing mother and child.
Genres: suspense, mystery, thriller, legal-thriller
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: false-accusations, missing-child
Setting: San Diego
430 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Berkley
Content warnings: addiction, child-abuse, drug-use