When D.A. Chris Sinclair and his beloved, Anne Greenwald, accept an invitation to visit Anne's estranged father, they expect a strange weekend. Mr. Greenwald's past is a wasteland of shadows and conspiracies in Texas govern­ment, and Anne has her doubts that the aged man has entirely renounced his former dubi­ous political activities.

She and Chris expect some awkwardness over the fact that when Anne needed him, her father wasn't there for her. What they don't expect is sudden death, when both Chris and Anne witness the demise of Anne's ex-fiancé, Ben, at her father's home. But all they can agree on is their disagreement. Chris is posi­tive he saw Ben shoot himself; Anne is sure she saw Ben being shot by someone else. The man she saw commit murder is released. Anne knows what she saw, and also knows that if she's to convince anyone, she first must convince the man she loves. But Chris, the best trial lawyer in San Antonio, knows what he saw, and he can't compromise his princi­ples and change his story, even if it's the only way to keep his relationship with Anne from being damaged.

When Anne begins receiving threats on her life, she knows that if she can't find the truth behind the mystery soon, she will be helpless in the hands of the one lurking in the shad­ows, so she starts to investigate on her own. But Chris can't stand by and let her venture into the shark-infested waters of Texas poli­tics. She turns up some nasty surprises as she gets closer to the truth, while Chris uses his legal pull to try and uncover leads that might have been buried in the media frenzy over this case.

Chris will have to shake the pillars of the justice system to bring the truth to light in a case with ramifications that reach to the very highest levels of Texas government. And when the lieutenant governor herself intervenes on behalf of the man Anne has accused of mur­der, Chris realizes that this case might prove his undoing, despite all his efforts, experience, and courtroom expertise. But even if he can somehow ferret out the truth from the mound of lies, secrets, and dirty politics that shroud this case, it might be harder yet to repair the breach of Anne's trust.

Jay Brandon is the author of the Edgar Award-nominated Fade the Heat.