Set in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, Second Watch is the story of two young police officers, Katherine Murphy and her new partner, Grace Stevens, who are sent from their quiet footbeat to investigate the death of a girl who has been stuffed into garbage bags and discarded at a nearby garbage dump. The two police officers are drawn into an undercover investigation that reveals the silent cruelty of child abuse, an almost unimaginable but far too common crime.
In Second Watch, Clausen explores the maturing character of the young street cop he first introduced in his acclaimed novel, First Avenue. As one of the first women cops on the Seattle Police Department, Katherine Murphy has a unique perspective to bring to the novel, but Clausen explores the character of the young woman far beyond her job as a police officer. The book also gives voice to a small boy, trapped in his childhood by brutality that he can’t control and can’t escape. In Second Watch, Clausen shows that the character of a person cannot be discovered until one pushes aside prejudice and preconception and is willing to watch and listen and learn.
