On a sweltering summer day, reporter Olivia Kerr and her husband Jerry invite Olivia's colleague Dale Colby and his family to the beach. Accompanying them is a very pregnant Maggie Ryan, Jerry's sister, and her family. Dale's last-minute decision to remain at home to follow up on an important story results in a tragic discovery when the beach-goers return: Dale's body in a pool of blood inside his locked office. Vietnam veteran turned police officer Holly Schreiner leads the investigation, battling Maggie-and demons of her own.

This Mystery Company edition restores to print the sixth novel in the Maggie Ryan series, a 1992 Edgar Award nominee.