Book excerpt: For readers of Stieg Larsson: the sixth Mallory novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Chalk Girl—in trade paperback for the first time. Police Detective Kathleen Mallory recognized the dead call girl. It was someone from her past, a woman who protected her on the streets of New York—and who betrayed her. Mallory also recognized the crime scene: victim hanging, hair in mouth, fire burning. It happened twenty-one years ago, when Mallory was a child. Now—whether it’s the work of a copy-cat killer or a serial murderer—it has happened again. Kathleen Mallory’s past has finally caught up with her.