South of Heaven - Paperback

South of Heaven opens with the kidnapping and horrific murder of an eight-year-old girl on Chicago's South Side. The murder rattled the entire city, and with it being a high-profile press case, investigators were under intense pressure to find a suspect and make an arrest.

Enter Detective Sergeant James Fitzgerald, who is tasked with investigating the brutal murder of the eight-year-old. Once a popular and pleasant Chicago detective, Fitzgerald regressed into a cold and callous alcoholic loner. He suffers from major depression-although he isn't self-aware-and binge drinks on a nightly basis to self-medicate. Fitzgerald is mandated to see a psychiatrist and participate in cognitive group therapy sessions as the result of a use of force incident that occurred several months earlier. Joining Fitzgerald is Detective Nicholas Russo, a high-profile, brash, and unpredictable wild card; and Detective Michelle Rodgers, a brilliant, compassionate, and capable eight-year Chicago Police veteran. When a second young girl's life is in peril, the Chicago detectives must act quickly as they are in a race against time to catch the killer and end the terrorization of an entire community.