A Case of Tears: A Bertrand McAbee Mystery

Bertrand McAbee has pretty much retired from his private investigative agency, ACJ. He receives a plea to come to Omaha by one of the richest men in the world, CC Balthazar. The two men have a rocky history between them from a case many years ago. But now, CC needs to heal the rift between them. His granddaughter, Ursula, disappeared in Cologne, Germany, two months ago. So far, no leads have panned out. Disturbing, sexually explicit photos of her, along with a note, were sent to CC. As CC's only direct descendant, Ursula has been groomed to take over his empire. For unclear reasons, the kidnappers named McAbee as the person to mediate the process of her return. An offer of an extremely rare Greek statue lures McAbee into accepting the task.

In accepting the assignment McAbee travels to Germany and Portugal where he encounters a criminal enterprise with a vile business model. They identify high profile targets for kidnapping, who are subsequently drugged, beaten and raped as they are trafficked throughout an underground network. The victims that survive are then offered back to their loved ones for ransom.

McAbee eventually makes the bargain for Ursula's safety but brings back to Omaha a broken woman. Her physical injuries heal better than her mental ones, even though she is treated by a skilled psychiatrist. CC again turns to McAbee for assistance. Ursula was a brilliant student and especially interested in the classics, which was McAbee's specialty when he taught at St. Anselm College. Could immersion in the classics, carefully chosen, help Ursula on the road to recovery? With this strategy, Ursula grows stronger. But so does her desire for revenge. The criminal enterprise must be destroyed and Ursula wants to play a leading role alongside McAbee and his crew as they venture back to Portugal.