Part of Harry Bosch, book 25
First published 2024
Detective Renée Ballard discovers a DNA match that could crack a decades-old case. A recently arrested twenty-three-year-old man shares genetic markers with the Pillowcase Rapist, a serial killer who terrorized Los Angeles for five years before vanishing twenty years ago. The connection points to the suspect's father as the real perpetrator. Ballard and her Open-Unsolved Unit close in on their target, but they hit unexpected obstacles involving family secrets and legal complications. Her investigation becomes personal when someone steals her badge, gun, and identification. She cannot report the theft without giving her department enemies the opportunity to destroy her detective career. Working alone to recover her stolen items puts Ballard in serious danger. She turns to Harry Bosch for assistance outside official channels. Meanwhile, Bosch's daughter Maddie joins the cold case unit as a volunteer while working patrol shifts at night. Ballard welcomes the help, but she soon realizes Maddie has hidden reasons for wanting access to the department's unsolved case files.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Los Angeles
Period: 20 Years Ago, Present Day
407 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: violence