by Eugene Izzi
First published 1988
Detective Vic Perry stares at the blood-stained altar where a nun lies dead in a Chicago South Side church. The killing happened in broad daylight in what should have been a sanctuary. Perry has worked plenty of homicides, but this case cuts deeper. His girlfriend saw the murder happen. She watched someone destroy an innocent woman in a place meant for prayer and peace. Now Perry must balance his professional duty with his personal stake in the investigation. He walks the rough streets of Chicago's South Side, where violence spills into sacred spaces. The killer remains free while Perry's girlfriend carries the weight of what she witnessed. Perry knows that solving this case means more than just closing another file. It means protecting the woman he loves and finding justice for a victim who dedicated her life to serving others.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, personal-stake
Setting: Chicago, South Side
Period: 20th-century
309 pages · Paperback · St. Martin's Press
Content warnings: violence