From America's number-one-bestselling crime writer, an electrifying new thriller-with a twist.
For decades, Patricia Cornwell has demonstrated her extraordinary ability not just to entertain and enthrall, but also to surprise-- and At Risk will surprise everyone. It is a book filled with all the chilling suspense, rich characters, and trademark forensics that have made her an international phenomenon. But what Cornwell does with those ingredients is a revelation.
A Massachusetts state investigator is called home from Knoxville, Tennessee, where he is completing a course at the National Forensic Academy. His boss, the district attorney, an attractive but hard-charging woman, is planning to run for governor, and as a showcase she's planning to use a new crime initiative called At Risk, its motto "Any crime, any time." In particular, she's been looking for a way to employ some cutting-edge DNA technology, and she thinks she's found it in a twenty-year-old murder in Tennessee. If her office solves the case, they'll all end up looking pretty good, right?
Her investigator is not so sure-- not sure about anything to do with this woman, really-- but before he can open his mouth, a shocking piece of violence intervenes, an act that shakes up not only their lives but the lives of everyone around them as well. It is not a random event. Is it personal? Is it professional? Whatever it is, the implications are very, very bad indeed... and they're about to get much worse.