Oh, I knew how I wanted this story to end. I wanted a happy ending. That's hard to do when the person you're rooting for may be dead or may be a murderer or may be a psychopath or....Dugoni weaves the story from both the perspective of detective Crosswhite and that of one of the victims. We're in the head of the woman back before the body in the crab pot is found. As the investigation moves forward, and more questions than answers are found, we learn more about the life, and thinking process, of the woman they're investigating. And damn it, I didn't want her to die. Gah. 
 The investigation takes many different directions as the detectives work to uncover the identity of the woman in the pot, who killed her and why, where is the murderer, and what exactly happened and when and where. The when and where become even more important when another police department claims jurisdiction. Crosswhite and team are reluctant to give up the investigation and fight to keep it. Their captain, with whom Crosswhite has an antagonistic relationship at the best of times, is not exactly supportive and the team bends a few rules and procedures as they conduct the investigation and fight for it. While all this is going on, Crosswhite's love life also takes a turn and she has to deal with that too. 
 Dugoni's storytelling just may have hit peak with this story as the blend of plot, story, characters, and action are near perfect. He moves neatly from putting you smack in the middle of an interview or other procedure to putting you in the middle of a character's head or heart. The team is a strong one and a close-knit one. They have their disagreements but they always pull together and watch out for each other. The series is Crosswhite's but her team is the framework that allows her to shine. 
 While this, and all of the books, work fine as stand-alones, you'll better appreciate the characters if you read in order. And why not start at the beginning as this series is just wonderful; full of complex stories and characters and rich detail. One book left and I'm both looking forward to it and sad that the series is ending. 
 A favorite quote: 
 "You said we were family," Faz said. "This is what family does. We do dumbass shit, but we do it together."