Edgar Award finalist and international bestselling author Brian Freeman brings the long-awaited return of Lieutenant Jonathan Stride to the bitter cold of Duluth Minnesota Sixteen-year-old Catalina Mateo shows up unannounced one night in Detective Jonathan Strides home dripping wet from a desperate plunge into the icy waters of Lake Superior Her sodden clothes stained with blood Cat spins a tale of a narrow escape from a shadowy pursuer Stride decides to trust this girl but his judgment may be clouded by memories of Cats mother Ten years earlier Cat hid under the porch of her family home while her mother was brutally butchered by her ex-con father Stride still blames himself for not preventing the slaughter But is Cat telling the truth Strides police partner Maggie Bei doubts the homeless girl who has been living rough on the streets of Duluth since her mothers death--and now sleeps with a knife hidden under her pillow As Stride investigates Cats story more violence trails in the teenagers wake--and Maggies suspicions about her deepen Now a single question haunts the void between them Should Stride be afraid for--or of--this terribly damaged girl.
