When prostitute April Kyle goes missing, her boss Patricia Utley, an elegant madam with a practical heart of gold, turns to Spenser - after all, it's not the first time he's had to help the troubled teenager . . .

'A winner' Chicago Tribune

In this exciting follow-up to Ceremony, April's left the up-market escort service where she's worked happily since she was 16 for the love of a male pimp, but her boss is afraid the girl will end up at the destructive end of the prostitution industry. It's not long before Spenser's hunt leads him to Robert Rambeaux, ersatz Julliard student and April's pimp, then to Ginger Bucky, another of Rambeaux's hookers - who suddenly turns up dead.

'The suspense never slackens' Publishers Weekly

With April vanished, Rambeaux hiding out after a near-fatal beating, and his only lead dead, Spenser starts tracking back Ginger's life, hoping it will eventually lead him to April . . . but the surprises aren't over yet.

'When it comes to detective novels, 90 per cent of us admit he's an influence, and the rest of us lie about it' HARLEN COBEN