Ex-NYPD cop Filomena Buscarsela—the irrepressible urban crime fighter of 23 Shades of Black and Soft Money—is back. This time, the tough-talking, street-smart Latina heroine sets her sights on seemingly idyllic suburbia, where an endless sea of green lawns hides a toxic trail of money… and murder.

But something is rotten on Long Island. When Filomena discovers that a high-tech Long Island factory is spewing poisons into the water supply, she’s sure that the contaminator is none other than her nemesis, a cutthroat industrial polluter with an airtight financial empire. Armed only with an ax to grind, the gutsy Filomena knows she’ll have to play dirty to clean up the neighborhood.

Her search for justice introduces her to the unfamiliar scent of privilege—from the state-of-the-art chemistry lab of a local university to the crumbling ruins of a beachfront estate, from a glittering high-society party to an intimidating high-security chemical plant—and immerses her in the all-too-familiar stench of political corruption and personal greed. Once again, Filomena’s nose for trouble has drawn her into a case that’s more than a little hazardous to her health. As the action heats up, she must juggle the dangers of the investigation with the demands of her three-year-old daughter and the delights of a surprising new romance.

Kenneth Wishnia

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