Child of the State

"He'll be first, then you're next."

That's the message someone scribbled on a photo of Stacy May Charms' six-year-old son, two days before her release from prison.

Stacy knows why. She doesn't know who.

And she's not waiting around to find out. Her plan is to grab her child and run.

For Elizabeth McClaine—custodian of the Charles Jefferson McClaine Foundation—early release for Stacy May under the Governor’s new initiative has consumed her for the last six months. Contracted to oversee the project because of her position and connections, Elizabeth is chiefly responsible for the program’s first successful applicant. But when Stacy May absconds only two hours after her release, Elizabeth finds herself flung into social and political exile, her reputation in tatters.

If Elizabeth is to clear her name, and keep Stacy from becoming a political scapegoat, she must figure out why Stacy ran, and who she’s running from.