The chef's knife was in the wrong place... wedged deep in the gut of celebrity chef Carlos Cruz.

With her bloody discovery, Mercy could lose it all. And not just for her, her entire family is at risk too.

San Francisco's hottest young chef rose from modest beginnings to getting a James Beard Award for his upscale Mission District eatery, El Conquistador. In addition to creating cutting-edge cuisine, the mercurial Cruz has been accused of sexual harassment multiple times.

Smart, ambitious, and tenacious, Mercedes "Mercy" Tejada was granted Dreamer status while studying to become a nurse. The waitress job wasn't the ideal, but the tips paid the bills. When she finds Cruz dying in the alley behind his trendy bistro, she knows she's in a lot of trouble.

Mercy's fingerprints and blood-splattered sweatshirt make her a prime suspect. It doesn't help that she and Cruz were seen fighting and Mercy threatened him.

In THE DREAMER, the eleventh installment of New York Times bestselling author Sheldon Siegel's iconic San Francisco series, ex-spouses and Public Defenders Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez are thrust into the middle of this politically charged case and tasked with finding the truth.

The case is personal for them too. Mercy's mom, Perlita, is the longtime housekeeper for Rosie's mother, Sylvia. It is Sylvia who asks Rosie and Mike to handle Mercy's case.

There are political ramifications as well. Rosie is running for re-election as Public Defender. Her decision to handle a dreamer's defense herself will not play well to a portion of the electorate.

As Mercy's case hurtles toward trial, Rosie, Mike, and Mike's brother/private investigator, Pete, race between the tenements, trendy restaurants, and century-old churches of the Mission District in a desperate search for an elusive truth where everybody--including Mike and Rosie and their families--has something to hide.

An intricate plot, likeable characters, powerful suspense, and a touch of humor are Sheldon Siegel's hallmarks. In THE DREAMER, readers will discover once again why Mike Daley and Rosie Fernandez have been called two of the most compelling characters in contemporary crime fiction.