In the mid-90s of Houston, Texas, orthopedist Dr James Brady —better known as Jim Bob — is watering the potted plants in his backyard when he hears tires screeching and a soft thunk, which draws him to the street. Lying on the pavement is 10-year-old Stevie Huntley, but the vehicle that ran him down is long gone.

Witnesses cite a small red pickup truck as the deadly hit-and-run vehicle, which sends the Houston Police Department into search mode while Detective Susan Beeson canvasses the neighborhood for information.

Stevie had a mild form of a rare bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, which caused his bones to break easily. While leaving the mortuary after Stevie’s autopsy, he spots another tiny body on the table, its exposed spine cruelly twisted into an S-shape, and can’t believe his eyes: he’s staring at Stevie’s twin.

As his practice’s managing partner lashes out in inexplicable fury and a mysterious woman returns to University Hospital, Jim Bob unearths information that exposes secrets whose keepers have gone to great lengths to keep permanently buried, and people who will resort to anything, including murder, to take what they consider their due.

First-time author John Bishop has written a sharp, stunning mystery exploring the world he knows so well and fearlessly laying bare what it tries to keep hidden.