"There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever position of the body, the soul is on its knees." Victor Hugo

In this dark novel, Patrick Kenzie has lost some of his enthusiasm for his job since Angela Gennaro left their partnership.

He's hired by Karen Nichols, a sweet, innocent woman, to stop a stalker from bothering her.

Patrick and his bruising buddy, Bubba, scare off the attempted assailant. Patrick is also able to get Karen's auto insurance company to pay a claim where someone damaged her car. The insurance company claimed that Karen never paid her bill and that the coverage had lapsed.

Kenzie goes on with his life, later, he gets a call from Karen but doesn't think it's anything serious and doesn't return it. Then, to his astonishment, he learns that Karen has committed suicide by jumping from a nearby high rise.

Feeling a deep sense of guilt, Patrick looks into Karen's life from the time he last saw her. He uncovers a plot which looks as if someone deliberately set about to destroy this innocent woman's life and her will to live. In despair, he contacts Angela and she agrees to rejoin him. Together, they delve into the reasons someone might have done this terrible deed and then provide their own retribution.

Dennis Lehane tells a story detailing the wickedness that a person can descend to. Similar plots have been written, but in this case, Lehane does the job well. Patrick and Angela are always interesting to read about and when they work together, they create a kind of give and take chemistry that makes them a special couple.

This was a most enjoyable, stand alone thriller.