Detective Vic Lenoski of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police has just been handed the biggest case of his career, the vicious murder of a venture capitalist known for funding high-tech and robotics start-up companies. But Vic, haunted by personal loss and hounded by a commander who despises him, is unraveling fast. Worse, his investigation soon uncovers major corruption among Pittsburgh’s star robotics entrepreneurs, that the city’s gangsters have gone straight, and Vic’s commander and colleagues are only interested in promotions, pensions, and pats on the back. Just as the case and his career are on the verge of collapse, Vic struggles to make sense of his work and life while uncovering a series of deeply buried truths, and tracking a murderer who is desperate to kill again.

For Pittsburgh police detectives Vic Lenoski and his partner, Liz Timmons, what starts as a favor for the district attorney—a simple check on a house fire at the home of a public defender—soon becomes something different. The local fire chief suspects arson and the public defenders’ body is found inside the house…tied to her bed. Worse, as Vic and Liz investigate the victim’s life, they discover a string of secrets—each more damning than the last. Those discoveries bring immediate pressure from the DA and their commander to close the case…just as the evidence takes a startling and gut-wrenching turn into Vic and Liz’s personal lives.

After a house fire hospitalizes his partner and forces him onto medical leave, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police detective Vic Lenoski starts a desperate search for the woman who set the blaze. She is the one person who knows what happened to his missing teenage daughter, but as a fugitive, she’s disappeared so thoroughly no one can find her. Risking his job and the wrath of the district attorney, Vic resorts to bargaining with criminal suspects for new leads, many of which point to North Dakota. He flies there, only to discover he is far from everything he knows, and his long-cherished definitions of good and bad are fading as quickly as his leads. His only chance is one last audacious roll of the dice. Can he stay alive long enough to discover the whereabouts of his daughter and rebuild his life? Or is everything from his past lost forever? "The mystery plot itself is riveting; Hayes expertly guides readers from lead to lead, and they’ll find themselves fully immersed not only in the search, but also in the depiction of the protagonist’s mounting desperation. A captivating and emotionally intelligent crime drama.” — Kirkus Reviews