Getting beaten to death is bad enough—but to be left naked and dead on the side of the road? That's just cruel. Detective Brandon Berger is called to investigate the case, but it doesn't look good. Evidence is lacking and the victim's identity is unknown. Factor in a house fire and a missing baby, and things just got a whole lot worse. A dark secret could tie everything together, but the truth can sometimes be deadly...and Brandon could end up like his victim.(NOTE: The Magnolia Parish Mystery Series picks up four years later in a spin-off series that features Police Sniper London Carter. The first book in the follow-up series is titled JAMES 516.)