In this gripping debut PI procedural, an ex-cop is dragged back into the policing world that she fled when a teen girl goes missing in her new town.

Please help me. I think he killed Avery.

Vinnie Taylor isn’t a cop anymore. Once a decorated detective, Vinnie left behind a 25-year career in a blaze of scandal—working undercover to bust a sex trafficking ring in her own Homicide Unit. Nearly beaten to death by her former colleagues to prevent her testimony, Vinnie has found peace in the small town of Wills Harbor, Maryland. Or so she thought.

When a local teenager goes missing and nobody in town seems concerned besides the girl's best friend, Vinnie can’t help but take the case, even if it means returning to a world she's gone hundreds of miles to leave behind. She feels a certain kinship with Avery Adair, a whip smart teen who grew up on the wrong side of town, just like Vinnie.

But as she digs deeper, Vinnie uncovers a trail of dangerous online encounters and a double life that Avery kept from even her best friends. The closer Vinnie gets to answers, the more perilous her own circumstances become. Does Vinnie have the courage to face the ghosts of her past and the ugly truths hiding in her new hometown?

"[A] pulse-pounding series debut… Despite the familiar setup, Mitchell skirts cliché, sketching three-dimensional characters and bringing the down-on-its-heels town to vivid life. Contemporary noir fans will be eager to hear more from Vinnie soon.” — Publishers Weekly

Saundra Mitchell has been a phone psychic, a car salesperson, and a denture-deliverer. She’s dodged trains, endured basic training, and hitchhiked from Montana to California. These days, she lives in Maryland and this is her first novel for adults.