"Maldonado's a writer to watch, and she showcases her own extensive law enforcement background in this tightly plotted police procedural."-Publishers Weekly Phoenix detective Veranda Cruz has vowed to bring the Villalobos crime family to justice, but when a wave of violence in the city escalates, she is forced to confront her darkest fear. Adolfo Villalobos is a crime boss who's determined to stake his claim. To prove that he's ready to run his family's sprawling criminal empire, he devises a plan to silence his siblings and destroy Veranda, leaving a trail of destruction through downtown Phoenix that makes national headlines. Veranda believes the task force she's been assigned to lead will end Adolfo's reign of terror, until his revenge takes a cruel-and highly personal-twist. The cunning scheme devastates Veranda, who struggles with secrets from her past that may end her career. And her life. Contains mature themes.