Psychologist Alex Delaware and Detective Milo Sturgis, the most beloved duo in American crime fiction, return in this electric thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling "master of suspense" (Los Angeles Times).
In Los Angeles, the law is anything other than an open-and-shut matter. There are those who think it's flexible, and those who strive to enforce it above all else.
A young woman is found dead at her kitchen table and the DNA on the cigarette butts in the ashtray in front of her belongs to her ex-boyfriend, who has a record. This is a case Milo and Alex call open and shut, but the guy has an airtight alibi. Could an enemy from his shady past have framed him?
Miles away, a former LAPD officer is found brutally murdered in her garage. Her coworkers knew her as a meticulously organized detective, but her house is a hoarder's den, full of trash and meaningless objects-except for the envelopes full of cash stashed beneath the piles of garbage. As Alex and Milo dig deeper into the seemingly unrelated crimes, they discover shocking links between the victims and realize they have a complicated-and deadly-puzzle to solve. Jonathan Kellerman has lived in two worlds: clinical psychologist and #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than fifty crime novels. His unique perspective on human behavior has led to the creation of the Alex Delaware series, including The Butcher's Theater, Billy Straight, The Conspiracy Club, Twisted, True Detectives, and The Murderer's Daughter. With his wife, bestselling novelist Faye Kellerman, he co-authored Double Homicide and Capital Crimes. With his son, bestselling novelist Jesse Kellerman, he co-authored The Lost Coast, The Burning, Half Moon Bay, A Measure of Darkness, Crime Scene, The Golem of Hollywood, and The Golem of Paris. He is also the author of two children's books and numerous nonfiction works, including Savage Spawn: Reflections on Violent Children and With Strings Attached: The Art and Beauty of Vintage Guitars. He has won the Goldwyn, Edgar, and Anthony awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association, and has been nominated for a Shamus Award. Jonathan and Faye Kellerman live in California.
