Dead of Winter - Mattie Winston, Bk 10 Author:Annelise Ryan A new home, a new marriage, a new family. It's a lot to sort out. But before medicolegal death investigator Mattie can smooth out the unexpected chaos of her new life, duty calls. At the local ER, a battered and bruised teenage girl has been brought in by a mysterious man who claimed she'd fallen out of a car. The staff is suspicious, bu... more »t while they attend to the teenager, the unidentified man slips out. Then the girl dies -- but not before informing social worker Hildy Schneider that the man had her little sister as well.
Mattie's exam reveals forensic evidence of long-term IV drug use and physical abuse, findings consistent with Hildy's suspicion that the girl was a victim of human trafficking. They are able to confirm her identity as a teen who went missing six months ago, along with her sister -- facts that are deeply unsettling to Mattie who now shares a home with her husband's teen daughter.
Working closely with Hildy and Sorenson homicide detectives, including her husband Steve Hurley, Mattie must delve into a dark underworld to stop the ruthless trafficking of human lives -- before it's too late for another young girl.« less