Cameron Winter can’t stop thinking about the first girl he ever loved, Charlotte. His unresolved feelings for her have prevented him from truly moving forward with anyone new even all of these decades later. In an effort to distract himself—and his therapist—from his romantic struggles, Cameron instead begins to recount a story from his time as a CIA operative when he was sent on a mission to find a missing colleague last seen at the villa of a notorious Turkish sex trafficker. It has been years since he traveled the world for the government, but he is still troubled by this particular case. Now working as an English professor, Winter seeks a quiet life—except when his “strange habit of mind,” his penchant for sleuthing, leads him to investigate crimes whose complexity excites his curiosity.

When a mysterious visitor turns Winter’s attention to a book that appears to detail what happened to Charlotte he realizes he might be able to find and save her. The dark tale, filled with White Nationalist rhetoric, disturbing characters, and cold-blooded murder has him worried for her life. But how much of this story is true? Why does someone want him to investigate? And what is it about this current investigation that has him thinking about that missing spy those many years ago? In his most personal case yet, Winter must delve deep into his past to confront a dangerous threat lurking in his present.

Like previous entries featuring this “complex and determined” series character (BookReporter), A Woman Underground harnesses multiple Edgar Award-winning author Andrew Klavan’s crime writing expertise to explore some of the biggest issues facing us today. The result is a poignant page turner with an intricate plot, shot through with high stakes action and unflinching humanity.