Published in 2006, An Internal Affair is Michael C Mahan's premier novel. The book follows Francie Rutledge, a private investigator as she returns to her hometown in hopes of redeeming her family name. Tarnished when her father, an officer with the local police, takes his own life when it becomes apparent he will be indicted following an investigation by Internal Affairs, the Rutledge name is an anathema within the Stonybrooke Police Department .
Fighting against long held biases and racing against time, Francie strives to find a missing teen girl who may be the next victim in a series of murders. She relies heavily on the friendships of two allies she still has in the police department, as well as that of a new found love.
It doesn't take her long, though, to realize that not all of her relationships are what they appear. As she works feverishly to break her case, she makes two startling discoveries: at least one of those close to her is intent on destroying her and there was more to her father's death than she ever knew.
Fighting against long held biases and racing against time, Francie strives to find a missing teen girl who may be the next victim in a series of murders. She relies heavily on the friendships of two allies she still has in the police department, as well as that of a new found love.
It doesn't take her long, though, to realize that not all of her relationships are what they appear. As she works feverishly to break her case, she makes two startling discoveries: at least one of those close to her is intent on destroying her and there was more to her father's death than she ever knew.