In Wozencraft's brilliant third psychological thriller (after 2004's Wanted
), Katherine "Kit" Metcalf must contend with post-traumatic stress (she was raped as a college student) and face her ultimate fear, her Texas Ranger dad, Wade, who hides immoral appetites behind a heroic image. A former realtor, Kit now pole dances for Blaze, "Austin's premier gentleman's club," though in order to do so she numbs herself with alcohol. Her sister, Jenny, an Austin police detective investigating a porn ring, is about to marry Luke Saner, an undercover cop looking into the murder of a Blaze regular. When Jenny's body later turns up in a Blanco County well, Kit seeks therapy and unwittingly puts her therapist (and herself) in danger. As the pace quickens, whom can she trust? Luke? Her dad? With eloquent prose that's unflinchingly honest, Wozencraft charts Kit's crusade for justice, revealing not only the rocky terrain of grief, addiction and rape recovery but also the smooth shores of survival. (Sept.)
