From Booklist
As Tanenbaum's fans know, there's nothing simple about a Butch Karp and Marlene Ciampi thriller. The action always unfolds slowly and deliberately, cleverly planned to the last detail, and the richly drawn protagonists constantly struggle with thought-provoking, hugely complicated questions about morality, faith, and family. This sixteenth in the popular series is a bit more philosophical than most, despite drawing its impetus from a scandal picked right from the headlines. The vicious murder of a West Coast rapper sets things in motion, unleashing a white-hot cascade of events that expose violence, greed, and corruption not only at the NYPD and the DA's office but also at the city's Catholic archdiocese. Tanenbaum smoothly reprises events of the previous two books as he relentlessly builds suspense and gets ever closer to the hearts and minds of his singular characters. Will Butch "lose his soul on the altar of politics" by running for district attorney? Will Marlene forgive herself and return to her family? Can Lucy overcome the memory of the man who raped her? Stephanie Zvirin
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