The Lure

Young mother dies. A baby disappears. A murderer strikes. In a small Adirondack Mountain town, secrets are hard to keep. No wonder Trout Run, NY is shocked when sweet, dowdy Mary Pat Sheehan dies from complications of childbirth. No one even knew she was pregnant. How did she hide her condition? Who is the father? And where is the baby? Mary Pat's devout parents are frozen in denial, but Police Chief Frank Bennett is determined not to let this scandal be swept under the rug. The more he digs, the more convinced he becomes that Mary Pat's baby is very much alive. That someone is criminally responsible for Mary Pat's death. And that other vulnerable young women are at risk. When Frank uncovers a highly profitable black market adoption ring operating on his turf, he is determined to root it out. But cooperation is hard to find. For loving couples desperate to create a family, the lure of a healthy white infant is impossible to resist. And for wily manipulators desperate for cash, the lure is even stronger. Now Frank must navigate the dangerous intersection of love and greed. And one wrong turn could spell death to those he most wants to protect. The Lure was originally published in 2004 as Swallow the Hook.