New York’s North Country is under siege from a drug crisis and a missing girl in Wegert’s gripping follow-up to In the Bones. You don’t need to have read the first book to get pulled straight into this mystery and its relentless, lights-on suspense. Police officer Tim Wellington has his hands full. A young man’s fatal overdose triggers a raid that nets a major drug seizure, but when lab results reveal that the seized drugs don’t match what killed him, Wellington and his team realize that a second, more dangerous supplier is flooding the area. Then, a young woman, barely dressed and moving like a zombie, bolts the instant she hears the word “police.” Not long after, another young woman, the daughter of a fellow officer, vanishes. What follows is a breathless race against time to find her and take down the dealer poisoning the community before the death toll climbs any higher. Wegert’s story is told through multiple perspectives, and the novel’s characters, heroes and villains alike, feel vividly real, grounding the story in an atmosphere that never rings false. The tension ratchets up with every chapter, making this a must-read for any thriller fan.—Jeff Ayers
