Publisher Description
Ellie McEnroe is an Iraq War vet living in Beijing, where she represents the work of cutting-edge Chinese political artists. She has one bum leg, a taste for dumplings and beer, and a sweet-tempered rescue mutt for a roommate. She also has Chinese Domestic Security on her tail and a dwindling number of Percocets to get her through her bad days.
And she’s about to have some bad days. The immensely powerful—and occasionally homicidal—Shanghai billionaire Sidney Cao has asked Ellie to investigate his son’s suspicious new American business partner. Ellie knows she can’t refuse and is grudgingly swept up into the elite social circles of Sidney’s three children: debauched Guwei, rebellious Meimei and social climber Tiantian. When a waitress is murdered at one of Tiantian’s parties, the last thing Ellie wants is to get sucked into a huge scandal involving China’s rich and powerful. But Ellie quickly becomes the most convenient suspect. She realizes she’ll have to figure out who really did it—and even that might not be enough to save herself.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Brackmann's rambunctious, well-plotted third and final Ellie McEnroe mystery (after 2013's Hour of the Rat), the feisty Iraq war veteran, who suffers from PTSD and is addicted to Percocet (which she began using to treat a leg wound), becomes involved with a group of young adults living a decadent and extravagant lifestyle fueled by their parents' riches. When a waitress who served at one of the group's soirees is found murdered with Ellie's business card on her body, Ellie becomes a possible suspect. Meanwhile, Shanghai billionaire Sidney Cao, a parent of three group members, asks Ellie to help uncover the culprit. In her search for answers, Ellie must deal with corrupt politicians and businessmen, political activists, the Beijing police, and the Domestic Service Department responsible for controlling dissidents. By inquiring into affairs that powerful Chinese believe are best left hidden, she exposes both herself and her family to great danger. Readers will be sorry to see the last of Ellie.
