Without a Word — Carol Lea Benjamin

A woman vanished -- without a word and without a trace -- five years ago. The daughter she left behind hasn't spoken since. And now the troubled young girl stands accused of a shocking and brutal crime.

The distraught stranger at the Washington Square dog run -- where Rachel Alexander has brought her faithful pit bull partner, Dashiell, for his daily r&r -- wants the p.i. to find his missing wife, a near-impossible task after all this time. Still, Rachel is touched by the plight of the man's mute daughter, whom she believes innocent of stabbing her doctor to death. But to clear the girl's name, Rachel must somehow find a way to communicate with her. And her attempts are leading Rachel to dangerous places -- and to tragic truths as dark and frightening as a lonely child's worst nightmare.