Vachss stabs his trademark hard-boiled style into the heart of a quaint little seacoast village, one seething with corruption beneath its idyllic facade. After a life in various war zones, Dell and Dolly have settled in this town, fulfilling Dolly's lifelong dream--and forsaking their previous identities.
In this mercilessly compelling thriller, Burke--the private eye, sting artist, and occasional hit man on child predators--is up against a soft-spoken messiah who may be rescuing runaways or recruiting them for his own hideous purposes.