Chicago Police Sergeant Joe Donegan came to the department with a plan. To him, the police badge is like a license to steal, a free ride, an easy way to get whatever you want, whenever you want it, without the repercussions of normal society.

And Donegan knows where to strike, knows which criminals will give in to him, without fear of them turning. When Donegan walks into a northside tavern expecting his take, he gets more than he bargained for. City Alderman Skip Murphy is walking out with a barmaid, Sophie Novak. And when Sophie disappears, Donegan volunteers to aid in the cover-up, as always, for a price.

But Sophie's sister is nervous. She is Police Commander Larry Cole's doctor, and when her sister vanishes, she contacts him. It doesn't take Cole long to figure out where Sophie was last seen and with whom, but Murphy has political clout and uses it to keep from being investigated too closely. With Donegan willing to assist Murphy, he is unstoppable, as Cole learns when Murphy's political rival vanishes without a trace.

But Murphy is no longer happy as a Chicago alderman. He has bigger plans, and those involve Congress. Will Cole be able to stop the trail of bodies that have turned up on Murphy's rise to power? Does a Chicago police commander have enough power to bring down a rising political star? It will take all of Commander Larry Cole's resources to stop Murphy and his goon, Donegan. But Cole himself is in danger. Secrets dug up from his past are exposed in a media circus, and Cole's problems may not just involve echoes from his past. Donegan's ruthlessness may shorten Cole's future.

Genre: Mystery