"One of the best novels of the year]. . . Giles Blunt has a tremendous talent." --Tony Hillerman
"Forceful . . . surprising . . . Blunt's] insights into suffering and madness give his characters their true voice." --The New York Times
In the quiet Canadian town of Algonquin Bay, a frozen body has been found in an abandoned mine shaft. She is quickly identified as Katie Pine, a teenager who had disappeared months ago. At the time, Detective John Cardinal insisted that Katie was no ordinary runaway. His relentless pursuit and refusal to give up on the case got...

Only someone dumb or high would go out unprotected during Algonquin Bay's black fly season. But when a beautiful young woman covered in bites stumbles into a tavern, the local cops discover she is neither. The woman has a bullet in her brain--and no memory of how it happened or who she is. Homicide detectives John Cardinal and Lise Delorme know someone left her for dead. And if word gets out that she isn't, someone will try again.