by Greg Iles
First published 2009
Penn Cage traded his role as a Houston prosecutor for the mayor's office in Natchez, Mississippi. He promised to restore his fading hometown, but casino gambling has transformed the riverfront. Five ornate steamboats now float beside the old slave market. The Magnolia Queen stands apart from the others, drawing high-stakes players from Las Vegas on private jets. Professional athletes, rap stars, and international gamblers arrive seeking blood sport and darker entertainments. When Penn's childhood friend brings him evidence of these crimes, assassins murder the man before he can testify. Local authorities refuse to help because casino money has corrupted them. Penn faces his most dangerous enemy with only his closest allies: lover Caitlin Masters, helicopter pilot Danny McDavitt, his physician father Tom Cage, and retired Texas Ranger Walt Garrity. The sophisticated killer anticipates their every strategy. Penn must risk everything to save his city, knowing victory will cost him dearly.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Natchez, Mississippi, Houston
Period: 21st-century
580 pages · Hardcover · Scribner
Content warnings: violence