At Hell's Gate — Ethan Black

Conrad Voort's family members have enforced the law in New York City for three centuries, since Manhattan was a Dutch colony. Raised from childhood to be a detective, he heads a vast cop clan, with its own code of honor and obligation. But now he faces his most dangerous adversary yet -- a man who has the power to destroy the family and will stop at nothing to prevent Voort from uncovering a terrible new kind of crime.

Detective Voort and his beautiful fiancee, Camilla, are kayaking New York City's Hell's Gate, a treacherous section of the East River and graveyard for several centuries' worth of ships, when they spot a body floating in the water.

The death seems related to a tragedy that happened in Hell's Gate over two hundred years ago. But could it also involve something more modern, menacing, and international in scope? With the help of TV producer Camilla and his partner, Mickie, Voort pursues the clues. But something doesn't feel right about the trail the dead man left behind.

What starts out to be a complex investigation takes a sinister turn when Voort falls into the clutches of a man whose bloodless methods of persuasion have Voort stricken with real terror, for his family, his fiancee, and himself. But the man with the dead voice leaves Voort with few choices. Psychologically crippled, he can no longer confide in his fiancee or his partner. He must ignore the long-standing law of the clan -- and his brother officers -- and take action alone.