Val Conrad

Signal of Guilt Val Conrad

Advancing computer technology enables pedophiles to find victims and hide from law enforcement. The most effective tool so far is the smartphone's broad Internet capability and mobility.

At a train versus car crash, Tarrant County Deputy Amber Samualson, digital forensic specialist, collects a laptop with dozens of encrypted files. Among these is a list of children with identifying characteristics and contact information for pedophiles willing to pay for those children, a commodity in the ever-worsening realm of child sexual exploitation. Nauseated by what she's learned from the laptop, Amber joins cellular communication engineer Paul Keegan and Deputy Kelly Morgan in a new task force, targeting child exploitation by offering Internet bait to catch pedophiles. The team is productive until Paul and his daughter become victims. Amber and Morgan join Paul's coworker Brady Cayson to use cellular technology to defeat predators willing to do anything to protect their business.