“[An] evocative debut novel.”—New York Time

"A twisty, well-wrought whodunit." —Scott Turow, New York Times bestselling author of Presumed Innocent

In this Southern noir, two detectives forge an unlikely alliance as they strive to bridge the racial divide and catch a killer hell bent on revenge. 

Set against a historical backdrop of mid-century racial inequality and political turmoil, this thriller is perfect for fans of William Kent Krueger and Greg Iles.

1955, Memphis. A city on the edge. A killer with a reckoning.

Homicide detective Burdett Vance has seen plenty of ugliness in this city, but nothinglike this: a killer methodically exacting revenge for decades of lynchings by targeting the daughters of rich white families. When Vance is assigned to the case, he’s also put in charge of a new trainee, Officer Eustace Johnson. 

Eustace Johnson has been recently "promoted" and as one of the few Black men on the force this is the latest publicity stunt of the police department. Forced to work together, Vance and Johnson must catch the rampaging killer in a city roiling with racial injustice and a fight to control the crumbling local politics.    

Then Emmeline Bryce, Vance’s old flame, becomes the killer’s next target. With Emme’s life on the line, Vance and Johnson must confront their deepest fears and darkest desires before the city ignites into chaos and the blissful vision of a better future disappears forever. 

Readers of James Lee Burke will delight in this bitingly smart thriller full of intrigue and age-old animosities.