Up in the far corner of New York State, past the last of the cities, lies the North Country. Summer people come for the boats and the sunsets. Then the season turns, the water goes dark, and the river towns close in on themselves.

It’s an impossible place to police. But New York State Police Investigator Tim Wellington, born and raised here, will do whatever it takes to keep his community safe.

Three days before Halloween, a young woman staggers down a quiet street in Clayton. No shoes. No coat. Nothing but a bikini and a fist closed tight around something she won't show anyone.

She won't say where she came from. She won't say what was done to her.

Then she runs.

The North Country is already reeling. A high-school senior is dead of an overdose. But the record haul seized from a speedboat doesn’t match the cocaine that killed him.

Someone else is still selling. And they are very close.

The clock is ticking for Tim to track down the drug dealers. Then another local girl disappears . . .

This twisty mystery coupled with heart-pounding suspense will appeal to fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan, Danielle Girard, Paul Doiron and Karin Slaughter.