The boy

When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux Louisiana the bloody crime scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he's ever seen. Genevieve's seven-year-old son P.J. has been murdered by an alleged intruder yet Genevieve is alive and well a witness inexplicably left behind to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry not a clue that points to a motive. Meanwhile Nick's wife Detective Annie Broussard sits in the emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself Annie understands the emotional devastation this woman is going through but as a detective she's troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave the only witness behind? When the very next day P.J.'s sometimes babysitter thirteen-year-old Nora Florette is reported missing the town is up in arms fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a tough no-nonsense new sheriff the media and the parents of Bayou Breaux Nick and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve Gauthier's tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve's past or present responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager Nora a victim or something worse? Then fingerprints at the scene change everything when they come back to a convicted criminal: Genevieve herself. The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself of the burden of motherhood or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of Nora Florette or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?