From Linda Howard, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Open Season and Shades of Twilight, comes a “riveting masterpiece of suspense” (Iris Johansen, New York Times bestselling author) about a woman trapped in the crosshairs of danger and the detective who will stop at nothing to protect her.

Still reeling from her mother’s death, Karen Whitlaw is stunned when she receives a package containing a cryptic notebook from her estranged father, who she hasn’t seen in decades. As she tries to make sense of this strange delivery, Karen gets a shocking phone call: her father has been murdered on the gritty streets of New Orleans.

For homicide detective Marc Chastain, something about the case of a murdered homeless man just doesn’t add up—especially after he meets the victim’s daughter. Far from the cold woman he expected, Karen Whitlaw is warm and passionate. She is also in serious danger.

A string of mysterious accidents shakes Karen to her core and forces her into the protective embrace of the charming detective she vowed to resist. Together they must unravel a disturbing web of politics, power, and murder—and face a killer who will stop at nothing to get his hands on her father’s secrets.

With her signature thrilling prose and high-voltage passion, Linda Howard “meshes hot sex, emotional impact, and gripping tension in this perfect example of what romantic suspense ought to be” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

Linda S. Howington is a bestselling romance author writing under the pseudonym Linda Howard. She has written many New York Times bestsellers, including Up Close and Dangerous, Drop Dead Gorgeous, Cover of Night, Killing Time, To Die For, Kiss Me While I Sleep, Cry No More, and Dying to Please. She is a charter member of Romance Writers of America and in 2005 was awarded their Career Achievement Award. Linda lives in Gadsden, Alabama, with her husband and two golden retrievers. She has three grown stepchildren and three grandchildren.