A Guatemalan journalist is kidnapped, and the only message from her kidnappers is the murder of her lawyer. In a race against time, Luc Vanier sets about reconstructing her life, through the sordid world of human trafficking, the secretive underbelly of a multinational mining corporation, and the hiding places of desperate refugees. When Vanier is brutally warned off the investigation, he throws away the rule book and goes after the villains with a vengeance.

Peter Kirby was born in Ireland and grew up in the hardscrabble neighbourhood of Brixton in South London. He came to Canada as a cook, went to university at night, and eventually became a lawyer. He now practises international law in one of Canada’s largest law firms and has been recognized as one of Canada’s leading 500 lawyers. His thrillers, all part of the Luc Vanier series and published by Linda Leith Publishing, include The Dead of Winter (2012), Open Season (2015) and Vigilante Season (2013). He lives in Montreal.

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• Winner, Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel
• Short-listed, Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Crime Novel
• Nominated for Arthur Ellis Award for Best First Book