A teenage girl goes missing . . . and investigative journalist Rent Beacham sets his eye on corrupt power brokers involved in sex trafficking and child exploitation.
Fall 2026: An Eye for Truth, the third in the Rent Beacham Mystery series from award-winning author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Larry M. Edwards.
A teenage girl disappears . . . and investigative journalist Rent Beacham believes he knows why.
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About the Book
In An Eye for Truth, the third book in the Rent Beacham Mystery series, investigative journalist (and fiddler) Rent Beacham’s shocking exposé of the scandalous state of the City of San Diego’s financial crisis fuels the resignation of the once-popular mayor. A bitter fight between rival candidates vying to replace him results in AI-generated deepfake commercials as Rent tries to separate fact from fiction.
However, that takes a backseat when the intrepid reporter’s focus shifts to a missing 17-year-old girl who is suspected of having been lured under false pretenses into the realm of sexual exploitation by a criminal enterprise centered in San Diego County’s back country. Rent’s investigation carries him into the perilous underworld of sex trafficking and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) enabled child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
Beacham’s in-depth investigation reveals the gaps in legal statutes governing CSAM and the use of GenAI to produce sexually explicit material. Prosecutors insist that AI-generated child sexual abuse material is rarely entirely detached from reality, while defendants in such cases point to a Supreme Court ruling, asserting that their “art” is “free speech” and therefore protected by the First Amendment.”
Meanwhile, the county sheriff wants the meddling reporter behind bars—and the sex traffickers and pornographers want him dead.
Although this is a work of fiction, its inspiration emerged from current events, including the abuse of the powerful nature of GenAI for the creation of misinformation and lifelike deepfakes.
Larry M. Edwards is an award-winning investigative journalist and editor, and the author of seven books, including the Pulitzer Prize nominated Dare I Call It Murder?—A Memoir of Violent Loss (memoir, true crime).
His work combines investigative rigor with storytelling. He is known for bringing realism and nuance to his thrillers, exploring the intersection of power, corruption, and technology.
