by Ace Atkins
Part of Spenser, book 22
First published 1996
Spenser takes what seems like a straightforward case. A friend needs help locating his missing wife, Lisa St. Claire. Her husband works as a police officer. She has vanished without explanation. Spenser begins his search expecting the usual complications of a missing person investigation. He discovers that Lisa St. Claire operates under a false identity. The woman his friend married has concealed her true name and background. Each revelation about her past makes the case more dangerous. Spenser must navigate deception and hidden motives to uncover what happened to her. The investigation forces him to question how well anyone can truly know another person. Trust becomes the central issue as Spenser realizes that nothing about this case matches his initial assumptions.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: trust, unreliable-narrator
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · G.P. Putnam's Sons