A body hanging from a rafter. An estranged husband bent on revenge.
Police Chief Matt Horning and State Department Special Agent Fern Byrne return in a thrilling tale of international intrigue that begins with a heartbreaking death on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean, and ends up on powerful desks in Washington, D.C.
West Coast billionaire Rohn Reid calls his old friend, the U.S. Secretary of State, to tell him he’s just found a dead body on his private island—Cold Rock Island, about thirty minutes off the southern coast of Oregon. The victim is Hiroshi Matsuda, a military hero who once worked on the island.
The nearest police jurisdiction is Port Stirling, and Matt and Fern are enlisted to investigate, and are soon at odds with the billionaire and his family. But the Port Stirling PD has another problem, as the husband of new detective Tamryn Gesicki can’t seem to let the wife he battered begin her new life in peace.
In the high-powered heritage of Harlen Coben, the puzzling island death turns into a suspenseful challenge for Matt and Fern, and their local law enforcement team. Working in tandem on two vicious cases, their resources are stretched to the limit. Will it stretch their relationship as well?