Ronan Marino thought life would be smooth sailing after hitting the biggest jackpot in California lottery history. With a successful career as a Special Agent in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations behind him, he was done with war zones, undercover assignments, and meeting dangerous people who'd rather kill him than talk. After years of high-stakes operations and a bitter divorce, he was ready for a quiet life.He returned to his hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts-best known for Jack Kerouac and Mickey Ward of The Fighter fame-with simple plans: find the girl of his dreams, settle down, play in a dive-bar band, and finally work on his long-neglected comic book collection.But when his new girlfriend is found dead in the icy waters of the Merrimack River, Ronan's peaceful new life shatters. Convinced she was murdered, he begins to investigate-and quickly uncovers a secret she was keeping, one tied to powerful men on both sides of the law who'll stop at nothing to keep it buried.With the help of his mob enforcer cousin, Ronan is pulled back into a world of violence, corruption, and deadly secrets. And this time, he's got nothing to lose.