First published 1994
Private investigator Sharon McCone thought she had found her balance. Her work at All Souls Legal Cooperative thrives, her house renovation is complete, and her relationship with environmental activist Hy Ripinsky feels solid. Then everything collapses at once. All Souls has expanded beyond recognition, and the new partners deliver a brutal ultimatum: accept a desk job promotion or leave. While Sharon wrestles with this decision, Hy vanishes without explanation. His wrecked rental car and abandoned plane lead Sharon to RKI, a shadowy international security firm that hired Hy as a freelance operative. They want to find him too. Sharon abandons her career crisis and launches her own search. The trail takes her from San Diego hiring halls for undocumented workers to luxury villas on the Mexican coast. She finds an unlikely ally in her unpredictable brother John and takes refuge in her childhood home. The investigation culminates in the dangerous canyon trails along the border, where desperate migrants risk everything to cross into America. There Sharon must make choices that threaten her life and freedom.
Genres: adventure, mystery, contemporary, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Mexico, San Diego, United States
Period: Contemporary
384 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Mysterious Press
Content warnings: violence