It's been five years since investigator Jessamyn Jakes left her life as a prostitute to start her detective agency, J. Jakes Discreet Inquiries.

When Suzanne-her former lover and fellow prostitute-goes missing, Jessamyn is drawn into a mystery that goes beyond the raunchy, shipbuilding town that was 1854 Portsmouth, NH-all the way from the antebellum south to the Isles of Shoals.

Together with her adopted daughter-and escaped slave-Sarah, Jessamyn unravels Suzanne's disappearance all the while uncovering other mysteries along the way.

And...of course, there's a shipwreck and a missing treasure.

A furiously paced plot with compelling characters make this debut novel a must read.