丹尼斯•勒翰, 1994年，以硬派偵探小說《戰前酒》齣道，開創瞭“帕特裏剋與安琪”私探係列小說。五年內拿下美國推理界夏姆斯奬、安東尼最佳創作奬、貝瑞小說奬、戴利斯奬、馬薩諸塞州最佳小說奬等多項重要大奬。

勒翰的作品一直都備受好萊塢的青睞。2001年，根據《神秘河》改編的同名電影獲得奧斯卡大奬；2007年，根據“帕特裏剋與安琪”係列第四部改拍成的同名電影《失蹤的寶貝》再度被評論界廣為看好，並獲得奧斯卡最佳女配角提名；2010年，作品《隔離島》又被改編成電影上映，並創下瞭近3億美元的高票房收入。

譯者 蘇瑩文，颱北輔仁大學法文係畢業，曾任職外商公司十餘年，現專職英、法文口譯與筆譯。譯作有《南方之星》《惡犬島》《罪惡森林》《嗜殺族》等書。

Sixteen-year-old Amanda McCready has disappeared. Her anxious aunt contacts Patrick Kenzie to investigate. It is not the first time she has gone missing, as Patrick well knows - he was the investigator who worked on her case when she was kidnapped before, as a four-year-old. But this is not a simple case of a runaway girl. In fact, nothing in Amanda's life has been simple: brought up by the world's worst mother, neglected throughout her childhood, she has nonetheless blossomed into a formidably intelligent young woman. A young woman so bright that she can seemingly out-think and out-manoeuvre anyone...For Patrick, the case leads him down Boston's darkest, most dangerous streets ? and into a world of shocking secrets that will threaten not only Amanda's life, but also his own and that of his partner Angie Gennaro.