It was a bit puzzling, that Chief Inspector Acton hadn't mentioned the body they'd discovered in the burnt-out church, even though he must have known that Doyle would find it of great interest. Was the arsonist caught up in her own fire, or was there a deeper, more sinister tale told by the blackened rubble? Although she was sidelined on maternity leave, Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle was fast coming to the realization that her husband hadn't told her, because he was masterminding some scheme-a scheme that may-or-may-not involve arson, blood money, and the ducks of St. Petersburg.

After a horse trainer is found dead, Acton and Doyle try to find the culprit, a pursuit complicated by the jealousies and blunders of their coworkers.

The holidays had come and gone, and Doyle was chafing to get back home to London, so as to start being productive, again. Acton's hereditary estate was grand indeed, but there was something a bit off-putting about the grandeur, and all that tiresome peacefulness. After all, Trestles hadn't always been a peaceful sort of place; for hundreds of years, it had housed generation after generation who were consumed with ruthless ambition, and who were willing to sail very close to the wind, in their quest for material gain. Best to whisk Acton away, before this troublesome atmosphere seeped into his very bones. . . .

It seemed a little strange, that Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle wound up being the ranking officer on this particular homicide scene. It was true that DCI Acton was off somewhere, testifying, and DI Williams was chasing down witnesses on the latest Santeria murder, but Doyle couldn't shake the feeling that she was being manipulated, by one or both of them. But to what end? The unidentified victim was a wealthy man, who shouldn't have been mucking about in a Lambeth alley, in the first place. Who was he? And why were Acton and Williams staying well-away, with only Doyle left to sort it out? It was almost as though they didn't want the case to be resolved too quickly. . .

Forensic criminologist Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs are pitted against an unstoppable "invisible" killer. As the fatalities rise and the minutes tick down, they must move beyond the smoke and mirrors to prevent a terrifying act of vengeance that could become the greatest vanishing act of all.

"Doyle was back at Scotland Yard after taking maternity leave, and the powers-that-be had decided they'd ease her way by assigning her to assist DS Isabella Munoz, which was a fate only slightly worse than death. ...[T]he first assignment out of the box was a possible suicide at the housing projects, something that happened with such regularity that it was a wonder the responding officer had even thought it worthy of a detective's notice."--Provided by publisher.

New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose returns to the gritty world of Baltimore’s cops and prosecutors with a tale of danger and desire that will leave you breathless… A car crashes in front of rookie PI Paige Holden’s home. And suddenly, she finds one of her pro bono clients dying in her arms—from a gunshot wound. With her last breath, the woman whispers cryptic words into her ear and hands her a blood-smeared flash drive. Five years ago, State’s Attorney Grayson Smith put a murderer behind bars. But when Paige Holden shares the flash drive with him, its contents cast doubts on the conviction—and lead him and Paige into a world of blackmail, dark secrets, and a decades-long string of murders. An investigation they’ll survive only by trusting each other—and the truth.