Part of Spenser, book 37
First published 2009
Someone raps on Spenser's office door in Boston. Elizabeth Shaw walks in with trouble. The lawyer represents wealthy wives who share an embarrassing secret. All of them slept with Gary Eisenhower. Now he wants money to keep quiet. Shaw hires Spenser to shut down the blackmail scheme. The job turns deadly when bodies start appearing. Spenser digs deeper with help from Susan, his longtime partner. She studies Gary's psychology to find new leads. The investigation reveals Gary targets poor women too. These women have no money for blackmail. Spenser shifts focus to the husbands instead. The case grows more twisted as guilt and innocence blur together. Spenser must untangle Gary's real motives before more people die.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, partners-in-crime
Setting: Boston
289 pages · Hardcover · G. P. Putnam's Sons
Content warnings: murder, violence