Child of the State

Silver Falchion Award Nominee

"He's first, you're next."

That's the message someone scribbled on a photo of Stacy May Charms' six-year-old son, two days before her release from prison.

Stacy knows why. She doesn't know who.

And she's not waiting around to find out. Her plan is to grab her child and run.

Elizabeth McClaine has no idea why Stacy ran, but she intends to find out. Contracted to oversee the governor's early release program for young incarcerated mothers, she is responsible for the program's first successful applicant. But when Stacy May breaks parole only two hours after her release, Elizabeth is flung into social and political exile, her reputation in ruins. If she is to clear her name and save Stacy May, she must figure out what Stacy knows, and who she's running from.

And all the clues point back to those who were supposed to be saving her.