After her beloved grandfather’s unexpected death, twenty-one-year-old Nell—along with her mom and little brother Tyler—move back to Tennessee to live in her mother’s childhood home. They’ll have a house that’s paid for, friends nearby, and Nell will finally be able to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps in attending the police academy. But while they’re unpacking, six-year-old Tyler disappears without a trace. Nell is sure the old station wagon that her brother was peeking into is somehow related to his disappearance. But how? The sheriff forbids Nell from getting involved in the investigation. But when she discovers a corpse in the prime suspect’s basement and a history of abductions that are chillingly similar, there’s no stopping her. She’s determined to find her little brother…before it’s too late.

At twenty-eight, Detective Nell Brach is the youngest person and the first woman to make detective in the small Tennessee community she now calls home. It’s her first case as lead investigator. She’s determined to prove herself and find out what happened to Scarlett Macadem, the thirteen-year-old victim who was last seen at the town carnival with her best friend. However, the deeper Nell and her new partner, Vaughn, dig, the more potential suspects they discover…including Nell’s lover, a judge whose car Scarlett clawed her way out of before she died. Could he have somehow been responsible? Nell doesn’t think so, but she can’t afford to make any mistakes. Unfortunately, she’s forming enemies right and left, she’s got trouble at home with her younger brother, and someone’s leaking details of the investigation to the press. One more misstep and she’s off the case. But when she learns about The Quiet Game, a disturbing competition dating back decades, she can’t risk following the rules or there’s about to be another victim…

A killer on death row. A recent murder, chillingly similar. A young woman, the only witness, in hiding.