The ugly truth behind his mother's murder has left LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch as tense and restless as ever. A homeless veteran is murdered. Bosch works a high-profile trial involving a Hollywood director. The Veronica Allen proceeding nears resolution. Bosch keeps tabs on a longtime criminal who's eluded justice.

A suspected killer whom Bosch has pursued for several years turns up dead in an apparent suicide. Edgar discovers that Harry has a complicated history with the dead man. When the case is later ruled a homicide, Detective Jimmy Robertson develops troubling theories about the culprit.

The secret effort to smear Bosch intensifies. Harry and his colleagues struggle to uncover who's trying to frame him. Irving closes a chapter in his personal life, but is ensnared in departmental politics. Bosch digs into the history of former soldiers under suspicion. Killers pull off a major score.