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It's a cold night in February when Det. Corelli and her partner Parker retrieve a floater from the Hudson River. Floaters are bad enough; the fact that there are really two bodies and both are young girls who have obviously been sexually abused just makes it all that much worse.
A few days later, in the wee hours of the morning, they are summoned to the scene of a multiple murder by Chief Broderick. He called Commissioner Neil and both of them are at the crime scene. Can it get any better than this?
Corelli is very recently back on the job after returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and then getting shot. Easing into things would have been much nicer.
There are three victims, all naked: Republican Senate Majority Leader Harry Stanerd; senior pastor of the Harlem Calvary Church of Christ, Reverend William Dumayne; and Republican billionaire Jake Blecker. Before they find the bodies, Corelli and Parker discover three naked, drugged and alive, very young girls hidden in a closet.
For obvious reasons, the fact that the children survived is a major point of interest and one the detectives want to keep from the public for now - even the fact that there were children at the scene is a problem in terms of publicity and focus. So everyone agrees to work around the "system" and they become foster children to Corelli's sister Gianna.
Another problem for the team is how embedded the brass are before anyone investigates anything. Chief Broderick called in Corelli but he didn't find the body. Senator Aloysius T. Parker did and he called Broderick. Broderick ignored procedure and let him go home. He also contaminated the crime scene. Roiling the waters even more is the family connection between Senator Parker and Detective Parker; he is her uncle.
This is Maiorisi's second series and the third book in this series. Her characters are well-developed, even the bad guys. Chiara's PTSD and her sexual orientation are integral to the person she is, not just a quick paint job to make her more relevant.
The LGBTQ community seems to recognize her skills; she has been nominated for at least two Lambda awards. While NYC is an iconic place to set a mystery, especially a police procedural, it is also a place the author obviously is comfortable in and can write about with authenticity. It is obvious fairly early that the bed guys are well-connected; what is not obvious is (although one might think it would be) is where all the strings are connected. That was a pleasant surprise - all the surprises Maiorisi manages to spring on the reader.
Caveat emptor: I won this book in an author-sponsored contest. The review was not a requirement for the contest. I don't know the author personally, although I think I might enjoy meeting her.
§ PJ Coldren has been reading and reviewing mystery fiction for over a quarter of a century and read sbroadly within just about all genres and sub-genres. She lives in Northern lower Michigan with her spousal unit, one large cat, and two fairly small dogs.
Reviewed by PJ Coldren, February 2021
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