First published 2022
John Corey sits on his uncle's waterfront porch on Long Island, restless after retiring from his NYPD homicide detective career. When his former lover Detective Beth Penrose arrives with a job offer, Corey faces decisions about his future and their relationship. She wants his help investigating a disturbing case: nine sex workers have been murdered and their bodies hidden in thick undergrowth along a desolate stretch of Gilgo Beach. As Corey applies his unorthodox investigative methods to the serial killings, he discovers the local police's failure to solve these sensational crimes may not stem from incompetence. Something more sinister appears to be blocking the investigation. Corey must navigate both the dangerous hunt for the killer and his complicated feelings about rejoining law enforcement alongside Beth. His politically incorrect humor and brilliant detective skills drive him deeper into a case that threatens to expose corruption as deadly as the murders themselves.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, enemies-to-lovers, police-procedural
Setting: Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York
Period: Contemporary
415 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder, sexual-content