Illicit Trade

The "intriguing . . . highly entertaining" second novel in the series that follows a United Nations investigator into the shadows of deceit and danger (Publishers Weekly). When two poor Kenyan men visiting the US are found dead—one in jail, one on the street—it's discovered that they both used forged UN documents to enter the country. And while Valentin Vermeulen's superiors have no interest in the plight of undocumented immigrants, they do want him to stop the fraud. The clues take Vermeulen to a small-time hustler in Newark, New Jersey, who has one of the dead Kenyan's passport and money. But Vermeulen isn't the only one looking for him. It seems he just stumbled onto an extensive and vicious criminal network. And to survive, Vermeulen must do more than solve a case of fraud. He must solve a case of murder—in this breakneck-paced novel that was a finalist for 2017 Spotted Owl Award.