LETHAL BEAUTY

A prosecutor focused on the murder of a young prostitute uncovers what could be a human trafficking ring.

When making her final arguments in the case against David Leacham, King County prosecutor Mia Quinn tries to forge a connection with every one of the jurors. Mia wants each of them to consider what happened when David killed immigrant prostitute Dandan Lee. Though she gets eye contact from 11 of the people in the box, one refuses to meet her gaze. Dandan is one of many people who have been brought into the U.S. through the Americanized Chinese restaurant Jade Garden by owner Kenny Zhong. Zhong’s tactics involve charging exorbitant fees to the women he smuggles into the country and then forcing them into slave labor to repay the debt. Mia has no idea that this is what underlies Dandan’s case until she gets wind of something gone wrong from restaurant employee Lihong. Now Mia suspects the rogue juror’s reticence to convict may be part of a larger conspiracy, especially when the body of an Asian man washes up on the shore of Puget Sound. Mia’s not the only one out for justice; Bo, the mother Dandan was never able to reunite with, has her own vision of justice that may be beyond the law. Wiehl’s partnership with Henry brings out her humanity without the supernatural side that emerges in her other books written with Pete Nelson.

Fans of Mia Quinn (A Deadly Business, 2014, etc.) will find this a well-considered addition to the series.