Part of Joseph O'Loughlin
First published 2011
In Baghdad, journalist Luca Terracini is working outside the relative safety of the Green Zone, digging into a string of coordinated bank robberies worth millions of dollars. The people behind those crimes have money, reach, and no patience for reporters who ask the right questions. Luca is about to find out how far they will go to keep their secrets intact. In London, retired detective Vincent Ruiz spots a young woman named Holly Knight being roughed up by her boyfriend and steps in. He wakes the next morning to find his wallet gone and Holly vanished. The rescue was a setup from the start. Ruiz, angry at himself more than anyone, goes looking for her. Two cities. Two investigations. Two men who have no idea they are circling the same truth. What links a war-zone heist and a street-level con in south London is the question that drives this novel forward. The emotional core is simple and sharp: both men are chasing something they cannot name yet, and finding it will cost them more than they expect.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, gritty, suspenseful
Tropes: converging-storylines, dual-narrative, setup-and-con
Setting: Baghdad, London, Green Zone, South London
447 pages · Hardcover · Mulholland Books
Content warnings: abuse, violence