Book excerpt: "Real-world, intense, deeply flawed characters. Hard story to tell; even harder to read, but worth every minute. A real page turner." ~Terry P., Verified Reviewer Portland, Maine, homicide detective Joe Burgess needs a vacation. But there's a dead child in Knowlton Park. Rolling up on the scene with a canoe on the roof and fishing poles flapping, Burgess finds little Timmy Watts, viciously stabbed, and carefully wrapped in a new blue blanket. Timmy's parents are life-long crooks, his brothers deal drugs and his sister turns tricks. The only one who seems to care is Timmy's hearing-impaired sister, Iris. But she's keeping her secrets. Then Iris disappears, and Burgess is battling against time to keep more children from dying. "The story ramps up on the first page and does not let down until the short post climax." ~Verified Reviewer "This is another amazing book from a skilled author of police procedurals with much more human understanding than the genre usually offers." ~Verified Reviewer THE JOE BURGESS MYSTERIES Playing God The Angel of Knowlton Park Redemption And Grant You Peace Led Astray A Child Shall Lead Them A World of Deceit