The Violated

From the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master comes this standalone thriller about police investigating the murder of a suspected rapist.

Martin Torrey is dead. The butchered body of the registered sex offender was found in Santa Rita, California. People living in the small town suspected Torrey of committing a series of assaults, and no one will mourn his passing.


But police chief Griffin Kells and detective Robert Ortiz must investigate Torrey's murder—after failing to find evidence that would have put him behind bars. At the same time, the rape survivors and their husbands grapple with their various traumas, struggling to believe the nightmare is over. The town's mayor has already moved on, pursuing higher political ambitions. Torrey's wife grieves her loss, while also fearing that her husband was indeed guilty.


And then Kells uncovers something that threatens to damage the already devastated community beyond healing . . .


"The series of brief first-person accounts used to report the progress of the case and its many resonances throughout Santa Rita is the most impressive feature here, giving a truly prismatic view of many conflicts that have divided the troubled community." —Kirkus Reviews