"The undertone of violence is pervasive, even at quiet moments, amplifying Slaughter's equation of intimacy with menace and placing her squarely in the ranks of Cornwell and Reichs." - Publishers Weekly.

In a stifling jail cell in Georgia, Detective Lena Adams sits in stubborn silence: bruised, angry, and the only suspect in a horrific murder. A hundred miles away, Police Chief Jeffrey Tolliver has gotten a call that his young detective has been arrested. Jeffrey's wife, pediatrician and medical examiner Sara Linton, has little patience for Lena. Fighting a malpractice suit, and struggling to pick up the pieces of her career, Sara isn't keen on watching Jeffrey play Lena's knight in shining armor. She has no idea that very soon she will be at the center of a bizarre and murderous case. Lena has fled back to the place where she grew up hard. The man who raised her is slowly killing himself with drugs. The man who beguiled - and beat - her is reaching out from prison. Now, only Jeffrey and Sara can free Lena from the web of lies, betrayal, and brutality that has trapped her, as this powerhouse of a novel races toward a shattering climax - and a final, unforgettable twist.