Joe Burgess

On a cold and snowy night in Portland, ME, Police Detective Joe Burgess catches a nasty murder case: oncologist Steven Pleasant, who had a habit of picking up prostitutes, is found dead in his car with a metal rod rammed down his throat. No one wants to talk to the police, yet both his family and his work colleagues knew about his sordid predilection.

When the body of eight-year-old Timothy Watts is found wrapped in a blue blanket in a Portland, Maine park, homicide detective Joe Burgess (introduced in Playing God) vows to find the killer. Everyone in the neighborhood loved Timmy except his abusive family, but people are unwilling to talk. Even Iris, Timmy's deaf sister, will not share what she knows and soon goes missing.