The thrilling new novel in the #1 New York Times€“bestselling series.  In Southeast Minnesota, down on the Mississippi, a school board meeting is coming to an end. The board chairman announces that the rest of the meeting will be closed, due to personnel issues. €œIssues€ is correct. The proposal up for a vote before them is whether to authorize the killing of a local reporter. The vote is four to one in favor.
Meanwhile, not far away, Virgil Flowers is helping out a friend by looking into a dognapping, which seems to be turning into something much bigger and uglier€"a team of dognappers supplying medical labs€"when he gets a call from Lucas Davenport. A murdered body has been found€"and the victim is a local reporter. . . .