The Dark Circle: A Jake Cantrell Mystery

At the start of Mrazek’s proficient sequel to 2017’s Dead Man’s Bridge, unjustly disgraced former army officer Jake Cantrell, a security officer at St. Andrews College in upstate New York, is assaulted by two baseball bat–wielding football players after a drug- and alcohol-fueled campus celebration gets out of control. The football players were apparently under the influence of an incredibly addictive new opioid that induces drastic mood swings and has been responsible for numerous overdoses on campus. When Cantrell’s boss suspends him without pay for using excessive force, he resigns from his job. Soon afterward, Cantrell is contacted by Lauren Kenniston, a journalist investigating people believed to be involved with opioid trafficking in the area. She hires Cantrell to find Deborah Chapman, a missing St. Andrews student with a bright future as a jazz vocalist. Their search for Deborah leads them deep into an underground economy centered on the Knights, a cultlike group involved in murder and sex trafficking. Mrazek’s briskly paced mystery offers plenty of twists. Newcomers and series fans alike will be satisfied. Agent: David Halpern, Robbins Office. (Aug.)