Book excerpt: A lonely woman and an emotionally damaged ex-cop join together to solve a case no one else cares about… Vicki Reiner is emotionally isolated and craves the fleeting happiness she experienced in the years prior to her college graduation. In an attempt to recapture this, she invites her old friend, Laurie, for a break at her deserted beachside home in Southern California. However, despite booking an online bus ticket, her friend never shows up. Unable to accept the bizarre circumstances of the disappearance, Vicki approaches the police, who dismiss her concerns before enlisting the reluctant help of Leighton Jones—a newly retired detective who is haunted by the death of his teenage daughter. Despite trying to remain detached from the case, Leighton is drawn to Vicki and her search for justice. The unlikely pair will face numerous obstacles as they track down the answers across the dusty freeways of North America—and find themselves in grave danger along the way. The content of this book has been updated to address editorial issues raised by some reviewers.