Chicago 1923: Tortured by the loss of his two children and estrangement of his wife, young policeman Michael Malone is ready to end his life. Just one more case and that'll be that. But when he meets 10-year-old Dani Flanagan, orphaned on the eve of her birthday in a case ruled a murder/suicide that Michael knows is so much more, he escorts her to live with her aunts and she gives him hope and purpose. He joins Eliot Ness as one of the Untouchables, taking down Al Capone.
Cleveland 15 years later: Eliot Ness is now the Director of Safety in Cleveland, where the Torso murders are continuing to terrorize the poor neighborhoods. The community is on edge the longer the case goes on and refuse to talk to the police so they decide to bring in cops from other areas to investigate undercover. Michael is set up in a local boarding house and he's shocked to discover that his innkeeper is none other than Dani. She discovers the real reason he's in Cleveland and is determined to use her gift to help him solve the case. But the closer they get to identifying the Butcher, the more it puts Dani in danger of becoming his next victim.
This book is based on real people and the true crime case of the Torso murders. The author did an excellent job of setting the scene of the city and time period, I could almost see the story like a black and white movie playing in my head. Dani's gift helped her with her job in the morgue, giving the indigent dead respect and a proper memorial. I really found her gift and the way she used it for good to be fascinating. Rough, jaded, and cynical Michael Malone was fascinating to me too, feeling he didn't deserve happiness, dedicated to his job. I'm glad he finally accepted a happy ending. This was definitely a five star read for me.
I received an advance reader copy of this book. The views and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
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