Samantha Kincaid received a promotion from vice to major crimes.  She now gets her first murder case.  Dr. Townsend Easterbrook returns to his home and finds his wife, Clarissa who was an administrative law judge, missing.  The police find evidence of foul play and soon her battered body was located.

Who would want to murder an administrative law judge?  After all, the cases they handle are your typical day-to-day ordinary cases - not really ones to make someone mad enough to come back and murder you.

The first person suspected was Clarissa's husband.  The next suspect was a janitor, Melville Jackson, who was evicted from his public housing due to the orders of Judge Easterbrook.  This time the police were sure they had the right suspect.  Several items of evidence pointed to the guilt of Mr. Jackson. 

Was Melville Jackson the murderer?  Samantha Kincaid was not so sure.  Could Melville have been framed?

Alafair Burke has written another excellent book in the Samantha Kincaid series.  The book is very suspenseful with a terrific plot.  Alafair Burke has created an unforgettable character in Samantha Kincaid.  She has shown the talent for writing that many new writers do not portray until they are several more books down the road.  It is very easy to see that the Samantha Kincaid series will be a very successful one for Alafair Burke.
This author is on the right track to the bestseller's list.

REVIEWED BY NANCY EATON

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REVIEWER, NANCY EATON