Without a Word - Paperback

by Carol Lea Benjamin (Author)

"[A] heartfelt . . . complex portrait of a severely damaged child and her emotionally cut-off father" and the PI and her service dog who sign on to save them (Publishers Weekly).

A missing mother. A child made mute by the trauma. A distraught father willing to do anything to help his daughter. It's the kind of case private investigator Rachel Alexander can't walk away from--even though finding the girl's mother seems hopeless. Sally Spector disappeared five years ago without a trace. But with young Madison now accused of murdering the neurologist who was managing her care, her father is desperate to find the key to unlocking Madison's silence. Drawn to the troubled girl, how can Rachel refuse?

Along with her pit bull Dashiell, Rachel starts putting together what clues she can find. What she uncovers is a case more complex and disturbing than she ever imagined. Suddenly Rachel understands that there are problems in this world some might be willing to die for--or kill for.

"Benjamin captures the mood of New York City effectively. . . . An entertaining series for anyone who loves female sleuths, New York, or pit bulls." --Booklist

Praise for the Rachel Alexander and Dash Mysteries

"One of the best private eye series around." --Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Fool Me Once

"Rachel Alexander is someone who holds your interest and makes you keep turning the pages." --Nevada Barr, New York Times-bestselling author of Flashback

"Benjamin's work [is] first rate." --The Plain Dealer

Author Biography

Carol Lea Benjamin is the author of the Rachel Alexander and Dash mystery novels, which feature a Greenwich Village-based private investigator and her pit bull sidekick. This Dog for Hire, the first book in the series, won the Shamus Award for Best First PI Novel. Benjamin has also been a teacher, worked as a private investigator, trained dogs, and written dog-training manuals such as Mother Knows Best: The Natural Way to Train Your Dog. She lives in New York City with her husband and two dogs.