Part of Dismas Hardy, book 15
First published 2014
Hal Chase drives to the airport on Thanksgiving eve to collect his step-brother. When they return to San Francisco, Hal's wife Katie has vanished. Five days pass before defense attorney Dismas Hardy learns about the disappearance through his wife, Katie's marriage counselor. The missing person case transforms into suspected murder with Hal as the primary suspect. Hardy takes on Hal's defense and recruits former detective Abe Glitsky to investigate. The evidence points toward Hal: their troubled marriage, his questionable alibi, and Katie's substantial life insurance policy. Yet Glitsky uncovers other suspects, including Patti Orosco, Hal's wealthy ex-lover, Katie's unknown affair partner, and Ruth, Hal's resentful stepmother. Glitsky also discovers suspicious inmate deaths at the county jail where Hal works. When Katie's body surfaces near their home, police arrest Hal. He becomes a prisoner in the same facility where he once served as guard. Glitsky pursues the truth through layers of jail corruption and conflicting motives as additional murders occur, realizing he may become the next target.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco
Period: Thanksgiving
304 pages · Hardcover · Atria Books
Content warnings: murder, violence