Part of Dismas Hardy, book 19
First published 2022
Paul Riley spent eleven years in prison for raping and murdering his girlfriend. The Exoneration Initiative proves his innocence and sets him free. Nobody in San Francisco welcomes him back. Soon Riley lies dead, surrounded by money from his newest con game. Police arrest Doug Rush, the murdered woman's father, who still grieves his daughter's death. Former DA Wes Farrell takes Rush's case, working alongside veteran attorney Dismas Hardy. Then Rush disappears before trial. Farrell and Hardy turn to private investigator Abe Glitsky to find their missing client. Glitsky's search leads him through a maze of bitter parents, corrupt police officers, unfaithful married couples, and people seeking their own justice. Each promising lead crumbles under scrutiny. The truth slips further away with every false turn. Glitsky starts questioning his own judgment as the case grows more complex.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, unreliable-narrator
Setting: San Francisco
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Kindle Edition · Atria Books
Content warnings: murder, violence