Former Pittsburgh police detective Karol Novak came out of retirement to lead his borough's scandal-ridden police department. Having instituted sweeping reforms, Novak is ready to walk away. He hates small-town politics and wants to resume his search for the predator priest who preyed on him and his closest friend years before. A dying man's wish derails his plan, drawing him into the unsolved murder of a young woman two decades earlier. As the investigation unfolds, Novak and his team discover a similar unsolved murder. Are the two deaths related? Are they the work of a serial killer? While they work to answer these questions, Novak must also locate a three-year-old child who has disappeared without a trace. This is the second Chief Novak novel by the author of Novak's Mission, praised by Reedsy Discovery as "an entertaining and intriguing police mystery that will draw readers along a misty trail that reveals a hidden crime."

REVIEWS: "Police Chief Karol Novak is a lead character who is well drawn, with fine detail and some depth, and this makes him easy to like and respect. The depiction of Pittsburgh with its economic, political and racial tensions has a contemporary ring of truth to it and the story of the murder investigation is compelling with a very pleasing twist in the tail. Recommended." --TM, United Kingdom "A plot involving three seemingly independent cases for a small local police unit, which in its day-to-day operations are facing the entire pallet of issues related to racial problems, budget issues, local politics, and high egos. while trying to solve several serious cases simultaneously. The plot is great with a meanngful relation to the local Pittsburgh society., definitely a learning experience for many. Also in the context of the actual situation vis a vis racial issues with police work." --KB, Jordon "The ending of this book blew me away. I liked the insights into Pittsburgh. The story was engaging and held my interest. It reminded me in parts of an American Bernie Gunther (I don't use that comparison lightly. You don't need to have read previous books to enjoy this, but you would get more out of the book." --GS, United Kingdom