It starts with a sneaker washed ashore. The severed foot inside changed everything . . .

San Diego Homicide Detective Wyatt Lake has seen strange cases—but nothing like this. When a second foot appears nearby, forensic experts trace the shoes' journey back to a sunken shipping container. Inside: twelve bodies, shackled together at the bottom of the sea.

Then the Feds seize control of the investigation.

Frustrated at being pushed aside, Wyatt transfers to the Cold Case Unit, hoping to work the 'chain–gang' homicides off the books. It is said that when man plans, God laughs.  When Wyatt is diagnosed with a fatal illness, he opts to put his all into his caseload, particularly his investigation into Chloe Landers—the sole survivor of a brutal attack twenty–five years ago that left her best friend dead and her legs amputated.

Chloe has no interest in reopening old wounds. But Wyatt suspects she's hiding something—maybe even a plan for revenge. As their bond deepens, so do the lies between them. And when Chloe vanishes on a weekend conference, Wyatt fears the worst.

What begins as a search for justice spirals into something darker—a race to stop a murder, or commit one . . .

Taut, atmospheric, and devastatingly human, The Dead Detective is a psychological mystery about love, guilt, and how far we'll go to right the past.