GENRE: Police procedural

STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT: Complete and seeking a publisher

AWARD: 2023 Mystery/Thriller winner for the Colorado Gold Rush Literary Awards

Detective Elena Mondragón has spent her life and career fighting to be heard. At 8 years old, no one believed her when she was the alibi for her teenage brother, accused of murder. He was sentenced to life in prison. At 28, she has the best conviction rate of all Colorado Springs detectives, yet her status as the only woman and person of color on the homicide team often leaves her silenced and overlooked.

Elena refuses to be quiet when a charred and bullet-riddled body is found in the ashes of a home destroyed by the Waldo Canyon wildfire. While colleagues think it’s a cut-and-dry case, Elena pushes to find the truth. During the investigation, she unearths police corruption that threatens her case and is tied to her brother’s conviction.

In a city still smoking, Elena becomes obsessed with catching a murderer and saving her brother. The once-diligent police detective soon realizes that she'll risk anything—her reputation, her job, and even her own moral code—to solve this case and get her brother out of prison.