Between the daily tribulations of her large Italian-American family from East Boston and her ongoing caseload as a private investigator, Angela Matelli barely has time to eat and sleep, much less take on additional work. But when Ev Morrow, Angela's mentor and friend from her Marine Corp days, contacts her about helping him with a personal matter, she can hardly refuse. Morrow's ex-wife kidnapped their fourteen-year-old daughter, Edie, three months ago and Ev has tracked them to the Boston area, but there the trail has gone cold. Angela is able to track down Edie's mother easily enough but she is too late - Edie herself disappeared without warning, leaving no trace, over a week ago. More alarmingly, Edie's best friend, who disappeared at the same time, has just turned up dead, and simple kidnapping has begun to look like something far more sinister.