


A missing woman. A staged kidnapping. A trail that leads deeper than anyone imagined.
Five years ago, Jacqueline Hernandez vanished without a trace. Her parents never stopped hoping. Detective Danny Ruiz never stopped feeling responsible. And when a new photo arrives at the Miami‑Dade Police Department—showing Jacqueline bound to a chair with a fresh timestamp—Ruiz is pulled out of retirement and straight into the sweltering streets of Havana.
But nothing about this case is what it seems.
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A body in the river. A name that won’t stay buried. A past that refuses to let go.
When a murdered courier surfaces near Lock and Dam No. 15, investigator Danny Ruiz is pulled into a case already soaked in secrets. Every lead points to one woman—Ginger Lovelace—a ghost moving through Gulf Coast smuggling routes with a reputation for disappearing anyone who gets too close.
But Ginger isn’t the only one being hunted. As Danny follows the trail upriver, he uncovers a network moving people, money, and identities through the Midwest’s forgotten waterways. Someone powerful wants him digging. Someone even more dangerous wants him dead. To survive, Danny must confront the one truth he’s spent his life avoiding: this case began long before the body hit the water. Fast‑paced, atmospheric, and relentless, Up The River pushes the Cold Case Files deeper into the shadows—where every clue comes with a cost.
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