In a city built on lies, the truth gets you killed.

 Los Angeles limps from its last disaster. Politicians call it recovery. The displaced call it exploitation. Detective John Zalerian calls it murder.

When a new strain of fentanyl starts stacking bodies, John follows the trail from skid row to city hall—and straight into the sights of Internal Affairs. Their top predator, the Headhunter, doesn’t investigate cops. He buries them.

Now John’s chasing killers while watching his own back, caught between the streets that want him dead and a system that wants him gone. Seeking truth through the ruins of his faith in the badge, the deeper John digs, the clearer it becomes: justice in this city isn’t blind—it’s bought.

Ruthless hits like a shot of noir adrenaline—mixing the relentless drive of Alex Cross with the grit and conscience of Harry Bosch in a near-future L.A. where loyalty is fatal and justice bleeds in the gutter.

Perfect for fans of James Patterson and Michael Connelly, Ruthless takes police work to the end of the world.