A gruesome murder of a woman and her daughter occurs on the North Side of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh Police Detective Michael Davis, a twelve year veteran of the police department, and his new partner, Detective Jennifer Palmer, are assigned to the case. Their paths have crossed before. Michael spent the his first 5 years undercover, resulting in the largest conviction rate of gang members and corrupt police officers in the history of Pittsburgh. Detective Palmer is the widow of a slain officer; the first case solved by Detective Davis after returning to uniform. She also has a thirteen year old daughter. Michael has a younger brother, Martin, is a Roman Catholic Priest in the families old parish, just north of the city, and a sister, Joanna, the baby of the family, who lives in California with her third husband, and four children. Joanna has a secret. The case takes a number of directions, including: the ballistic identification of the weapon used by an international assassin, a sex offending high school counselor, a murder of an old priest, the attention of two F.B.I. agents, the attempted murder of a witness, and familiar DNA connecting Michael and Martin to the murder. Much of the action takes place in the complex of Martin's church, St. Anne's, and the adjacent convent. The psychological angst of previous behaviors reverberates, and the impact of a family secret, brings life to the characters, each dealing with their pasts. The developing relationship between Michael and Jennifer adds a romantic aspect to the picture. The story is a tightly written tale covering two weeks. There are details on the historical Mexican War Street section of Pittsburgh, the fate of old mill towns around the area, legal usage of familiar DNA, and the complexities of the FBI and CIA.
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