The grisly discovery of a human bone while Deuce is out for a hike leads to the unearthing of a vast burial field, a human trafficking ring, and international intrigue.

Deuce Mora—a pulls-no-punches columnist and meticulous detective—keeps turning up information, bit by bit, only to find some Fed in her face, at her door, emerging from the shadows, always guarding the edges of the story, insisting it will not be told. Yes, the Feds are aware of the trafficking ring. Yes, they have a plan to move on it. No, Deuce can’t be told about the plan, and under no circumstances can she write about its existence.

This is the story of a lifetime—bigger than the Vinnie Colangelo story, which earned Deuce and the Journal a Pulitzer—and, for once, she has the support of her editor, but the Journal’s lawyer appears bringing warnings about “national security.” What could be a greater matter of national security than the safety of the city’s children who are being kidnapped and murdered? While Deuce is racing to break the case wide open, her life and her career are threatened on all sides.

But break wide open it does, racing to an outrageous surprise ending, and Deuce learns first-hand the lesson that sometimes the only way to accomplish a great good is to commit unthinkable evil—and learn to live with the consequences.