In 1968, Boston police lieutenant Eddie James is expected to follow in the footsteps of his celebrated father. But when a gay art dealer is brutally murdered, Eddie watches his department choose the easiest suspect instead of pursuing the truth.

Daniel Cross is frightened, vulnerable, and innocent. That does not stop a corrupt detective, an ambitious prosecutor, and powerful men behind the scenes from building a case against him. As Eddie fights to expose what really happened, he uncovers evidence linking the murder to the Duck Club-a secretive network of extremists once associated with his late father.

The investigation costs Eddie his badge and nearly his life. With his sharp-witted former secretary, Arthur Bell, he leaves Boston for Seattle, determined to discover why his father spent years traveling west in secret.

Then an entire family is murdered on Christmas Eve.

A yellow cab was seen watching their house. Its driver, David Rusk, belongs to the Duck Club, knows disturbing details about Eddie's family, and carries secrets of his own from Boston. To stop him, Eddie and Arthur must enter a world of political paranoia, buried police corruption, and violence disguised as patriotism.

Some lies protect reputations. Others condemn the innocent. And sometimes the most dangerous truth is the one everyone finds convenient to ignore.