Perri O'Shaughnessy takes us back to the beginning of Nina Reilly's career, when she was struggling through law school and working as a paralegal. Her son, Bob, is a toddler, and her life is crazily chaotic as she tries to balance all her responsibilities.

Nina's mother, Ginny, is succumbing to a complicated illness and struggling to remain strong for her daughter. But losing a hand after an acupuncturist mishandled treatment has torn through Ginny's defenses, leaving her angry and determined to make the doctor pay. Nina recommends one of the excellent attorneys at her firm to help Ginny, knowing her mother wants some retribution for the gross injustice she suffered.

Then Nina's ex-lover, Richard, reappears, claiming Bob is his child and wanting custody and/or visitation. Nina is overwhelmed by everything happening at once -- her mother, worries about Bob, school work, a crush on her coworker Jack, and her younger brother spiraling into addiction.

But when Richard is shot to death and suspicion turns toward Nina and her family, things just get worse. Then more tragedy strikes and Nina must channel all of her strength into getting through the days and being strong for Bob.

I'm not a big reader of prequels -- I don't even like to go see movies that are made out of order. But this book was a fascinating look into a younger Nina Reilly than the one we've met in O'Shaughnessy's previous novels. It is easy to see how her character developed, influenced at least partly by the events in this book. As a writer, I admire the author's deft handling of this challenge. It would be tough to write a book about the younger self of a fully developed character. Nina Reilly fans will enjoy meeting her younger self.