Traveling while on leave after being injured in the line of duty, Chicago cop Konstantin Slovo finds himself drawn into the investigation of a serial killer who is preying on children in a small Maine town, first by being picked up as a suspect, then being grudgingly consulted by the local PD.
Slovo finds himself torn between wanting to help and wanting to get out of town as fast as he can, a decision made more complicated by the wildly varied reactions (suspicion, hatred, friendship, both professional jealousy and admiration) he receives from the locals. In the end, Slovo finds that confronting the town’s demons is the only way he will be able to confront his own and move on.
I found the writing to be refreshingly “real” and straightforward; all the people have believable reasons for their behavior and motivations, things don’t always go well for the “hero”, and there are no wild caricatures or stereotypes to be found.
To learn more about Barbara Fister and her books, visit her website.
At the book’s opening Houston cop Micky Ascherfeld survives a brutal shootout with two heavily armed robbers; her partner does not. 
