New York Times Best Crime Novels of the Year

“A groundbreaking series … razor-sharp, compulsively readable courtroom scenes.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Another barrier-breaking thriller from a voice missing too long from the mystery chorus.”—The Los Angeles Times Book Review

The New York Times Best Mysteries of the Year * The Los Angeles Times Best Crime Novels * LAMBDA Literary Most Anticipated * CrimeReads Most Anticipated and Best Crime Fiction of the Year * She Reads Best Mystery Books

Perfect for fans of Laura Griffin and Lisa Unger, Attorney and LGBTQ+ activist Robyn Gigl tackles the complexities of gender, power, public perception, and human trafficking with a ripped-from-the-headlines plot in this powerful legal thriller featuring a transgender attorney at its center.

TIME MAGAZINE'S BEST 100 MYSTERIES & THRILLERS OF ALL TIME

WINNER of the PUBLISHING TRIANGLE’S JOSEPH HANSEN AWARD FOR LGBTQ CRIME WRITING

At first, the death of millionaire businessman Charles Parsons seems like a straightforward suicide. There’s no sign of forced entry or struggle in his lavish New Jersey mansion—just a single gunshot wound from his own weapon. But days later, a different story emerges. Computer techs pick up a voice recording that incriminates Parsons’ adoptive daughter, Ann, who duly confesses and pleads guilty.

Erin McCabe has little interest in reviewing such a slam-dunk case—even after she learns that Ann, like herself, is a trans woman. Yet despite their misgivings, Erin and her law partner, Duane Swisher, ultimately can’t ignore the pieces that don’t fit. As their investigation deepens, they convince Ann to withdraw her guilty plea. But Ann clearly knows more than she’s willing to share, even if it means a life sentence. Who is she protecting, and why?

Fighting against time and a prosecutor hell-bent on notching another conviction, Erin and Swish work tirelessly to clear Ann’s name. But despite Parsons’ former associates’ determination to keep his—and their own—illegal activities buried, a horrifying truth emerges—a web of human exploitation, greed, and murder. Soon, a quest to see justice served becomes a desperate struggle to survive …