Part of Harry Stoner Mystery, book 1
First published 2005
Harry Stoner works as a private investigator in Cincinnati. He drinks too much scotch and struggles with relationships. Women leave him, but bottles never do. Stoner cannot ignore the corruption he sees everywhere. He feels compelled to fight it, even when the odds are stacked against him. His current case involves Cindy Ann, a teenage prostitute who has vanished. She lacks beauty, intelligence, and charm. These harsh realities make her disappearance more troubling to Stoner. He understands what happens to girls nobody cares about. Society discards them. Predators target them. Death often finds them. Stoner suspects the worst has happened to Cindy Ann. His instincts tell him she met a violent end somewhere across the Cincinnati border. The case forces him to confront the brutal reality of how disposable people become victims. He knows he may be too late to save her, but he cannot stop searching.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism, social-justice
Setting: Cincinnati
Period: 20th-century
272 pages · Paperback · Felony & Mayhem
Content warnings: violence