INHUMAN TRAFFICKING

A legal thriller chronicles one man’s search for his 15-year-old goddaughter in the sordid underworld of human trafficking.

Nick “Deke” Deketomis—who is a senior partner in one of the country’s largest plaintiff law firms—is working on a case involving a chain of truck stops supposedly involved in human trafficking throughout the Southeast United States. The case becomes even more significant when Deketomis discovers that his goddaughter, Lily Reyes, has disappeared. With his close-knit team helping him—which includes Air Force pararescueman–turned-lawyer Michael Carey and Carol Morris, one of the firm’s investigative experts—Deketomis begins investigating the dark netherworld of sex trafficking, where those unfortunate enough to be caught up in the vile criminal enterprise go from “slave to grave.” As Deketomis mentors Carey on how to be a successful and ethical lawyer, the two are faced with more than a few morally ambiguous situations during the course of their investigation. A group of Ukrainian women, for example, who were recruited to work hospitality jobs in America are now essentially slaves forced to clean hotel rooms during the day and become sex workers at night. Papantonio and Russell have created an utterly readable thriller. The series opener’s biggest strength is its deep character development. All of the major players—even criminals like sex trafficker Tio Leo and hotel owner Vicky Driscoll—are insightfully and realistically portrayed. Additionally, the dynamism and deep connections between many of the characters (for example, Deketomis and Lily; Carey and his wife) make for an emotionally compelling reading experience. As can be expected in any worthy thriller, the action sequences are impressive, and the pacing is relentless throughout. Another plus is the timeliness of the subject matter. (According to the book, every year at least a quarter of a million Americans under the age of 18 are lured into the commercial sex trade.) The one minor criticism is the predictability of the story’s conclusion.

A solid beginning to what could be a wildly entertaining and thematically powerful thriller saga.