In the words of Lee Child on Gone to Dust , “I want more of Nils Shapiro.” New York Times Best Selling author and Emmy Award-winning writer Matt Goldman obliges by bringing the Minneapolis private detective back for another thrilling, stand-alone adventure in The Shallows . A prominent lawyer is found dead, tied to his own dock by a fishing stringer through his jaw, and everyone wants private detective Nils Shapiro to protect them from suspicion: The unfaithful widow. Her artist boyfriend. The lawyer’s firm. A polarizing congressional candidate. A rudderless suburban police department. Even the FBI. Nils and his investigative partners illuminate a sticky web of secrets and deceit that draws national attention. But finding the web doesn’t prevent Nils from getting caught in it. Just when his safety is most in peril, his personal life takes an unexpected twist, facing its own snarl of surprise and deception. In The Shallows , Goldman delves into the threat of dark history repeating itself while delivering another page-turner with his signature pace, humor, and richly drawn characters. “A twisty, unfailingly entertaining trapdoor of a novel...Nils Shapiro is the perfect PI for our times.” ―Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author “Goldman seasons the complicated puzzle with healthy doses of dry wit and meaningful secondary stories for his characters. Hopefully, Nils and company will return soon.” ― Publishers Weekly , starred review Praise for Gone to Dust “Sharp wit, complex characters, and masterful plotting makes Goldman a writer to watch. Irreverent and insightful, private detective Nils Shapiro is sure to become a fan favorite.” ―Harlan Coben, New York Times bestselling author “A perfect blend of light touch and dark story―I want more of Nils Shapiro.” ―Lee Child, New York Times bestselling author “Blends his storytelling with irreverent humor. His tough yet vulnerable PI, evocative Minneapolis setting, and clever plot, which features a distinctive crime scene and multiple red herrings, will engage and intrigue.” ― Library Journal, starred review, Mystery Pick of the Month New York Times and USA Today bestselling author MATT GOLDMAN is a playwright and Emmy Award-winning television writer for Seinfeld , Ellen , and other shows. Goldman has been nominated for the Shamus and Nero Awards and was a Lariat Adult Fiction Reading List selection. Liar’s Creek is his tenth novel. He lives in Minnesota with his family. The Shallows By Matt Goldman Tom Doherty Associates Copyright © 2019 Matt Goldman All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-19131-1 CHAPTER 1 Police floodlights lit the backyard, insects flew crazy squiggles in the faux daylight, and I followed a lackluster cop down to Christmas Lake. We stepped onto a dock of fiberglass planks. It jiggled underfoot. A red rowing shell lay at the end, overturned and chained to a galvanized post. It was 4:30 A.M. The eastern sky had lightened to gray with a breath of purple. I looked down. Todd Rabinowitz's body lay on the sandy lake bottom under a couple feet of water. It wore khaki pants and a white T-shirt. He looked like he'd lived to about fifty. Fish nibbled on dead Todd's face and fingertips. I said, "You're leaving him in the water?" Detective Mike Norton said, "There's a complication." Norton was midfifties, tall, white, and doughy. He had light brown hair and a forehead so big he could rent it out as a billboard. Dress pants and a dress shirt but without jacket and tie. A badge hung on his belt. He said, "When Mrs. Rabinowitz found her husband, she wasn't sure he was dead. She was using her phone as a flashlight. That's how she spotted him. So she ran into the water and tried to pull him up on shore. She moved him a couple of feet then the body stopped. It was hung up on something. She was freaking out, which hey, you can't blame her for. She wanted to see what he was caught on but didn't want to look too close. Most people don't spend a lot of time around dead bodies." "I thought you said she didn't know if her husband was dead." "Yeah, well. I'm just telling you what she told me. So, Mrs. Rabinowitz walks out closer to the body and sees there's a cord underwater that leads to the dock." I looked at the dock. A red nylon cord was tied to a post. Norton said, "Only it's not exactly a cord." "Looks like a fish stringer." "Yep. But instead of the spike running into a fish's mouth and out its gill, it runs it into the vic's mouth, under his tongue, and out his lower jaw. The killer then ran the spike through the ring-end and tied the cord to the dock." "Like a caught fish." "Yep." "But Mrs. Rabinowitz didn't untie him?" "Nope," said Norton. "She said she was too upset. And by then she was pretty sure her husband was dead. That's when she called nine-one-one." I wiped the back of my hand across my face. The August air was so humid I couldn't tell if I was sweating or moisture had condensed on my skin like