A murder in a sleepy town in Brazilian coffee country. The body is staged in a bizarre bamboo chamber. Years before, the victim claimed a priest had abused him. And he may have been about to reveal corruption in the coffee trade.
Renata Cardoso draws the case. At thirty-four, she has risen to lieutenant detective, a rank that few women ever achieve, let alone gay women. She fights for the case assignment, insisting that she is the best champion for the victim. Meanwhile, forces try to prevent her from succeeding: police leaders, the press, and the Catholic Church. She confronts those forces and strains against her own emotional baggage and fears.
It will take all her wits and resourcefulness to overcome her own self-doubt and the powerful people who oppose her to bring justice for the victim.

Someone is pressuring Detective Lieutenant Renata Cardoso. Threatening her loved ones, forcing them away from her. Triggering her worst fear: that of being alone.

A gay woman in a leadership position in law enforcement in coffee country in Brazil. Estranged from the Catholic Church. In many ways, a pariah in her hometown. She hated being alone, and yet her chosen lifepath had virtually guaranteed it. A woman, a gay woman at that, competing with and often outdoing the men.

Then a murder clouds the picture. Teodoro Prado, the third-largest coffee grower in the region, is found face down by the wastewater treatment plant. He had asked Renata for help uncovering fraud at the coffee cooperative. She had declined, but later accepted when new information came to light. By accepting the case, had she put him in danger?

Threats. Murder. All linked to her. The events place Renata on defense. But she doesn’t do well on defense. How can she turn the tables on her enemies?

Detective Lieutenant Renata Cardoso must regroup from rehab before she is ready. After a month in the clinic, she is called back to work by her boss, Inspector Aparecido.

Her hometown of Paraguaçu is set to explode. Gang skirmishes have already killed two. A full-on war might kill dozens. Aparecido asks her to return to work, for the good of the town. The kicker? He can’t offer her additional resources to prevent the war. She’ll have to make do with her skeleton crew of officers.

Renata is torn between duty to herself and duty to Paraguaçu. A gay woman in a position of leadership in law enforcement. Estranged from the Catholic Church. In many ways, a pariah in her hometown. Isolated, at the tip of a remote peninsula. She hated being alone, and yet her lifepath, chosen in a moment of defiance, had virtually guaranteed it.

How can she save lives? How can Paraguaçu come through this crisis with its charm, hominess, and history intact? How can Renata navigate the whole situation and stay within the guardrails of police procedure? She will need to find reserves of guile and resourcefulness that she’s not sure she possesses.

It’s the original question: What’s after death?
At sixteen, Kevin Madsen has life at his feet. He’s handsome, strong, bright, and sensitive. It’s all to look forward to. Then, a lump on the back of his thigh turns out to be a sarcoma.
Sixteen. The time when you get your first car. You explore your first freedom. Begin to forge your adult self. Lose your virginity. Start planning college visits.
Instead, Kevin undergoes chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation treatments. He loses his hair. His teenage peers are on to the next party. Kevin is attached to an IV drip of a toxic chemo drug that makes him vomit.
Through it all, he never complains. Twice, the scans are clear. Twice, the cancer comes back. Finally, Kevin has nothing left in the tank with which to fight. He passes in June 2018.
Which, in many ways, is when the story begins …
Out of the wrenching pain of Kevin’s passing, a stunning universe opens for Tom Madsen and his family. Kevin is no longer physically present, but he makes triple-sure that his parents know he IS still there. Over and over again, in often vastly different ways, Kevin displays his love for them. And there’s no doubt that it’s him; his personality and sense of humor come through.
And through it all, a despair that could have ended their marriage–or even their lives—morphs into a life-affirming validation of love. And the age-old question is answered beyond doubt: Yes, we’re still here when we pass.