When Rhode Island Assistant District Attorney Shannon Lynch blows an easy case and then succumbs to the charm of a suspect in a murder investigation, it might be time for her to re-evaluate. However, introspection is not one of Shannon's traits. Her three best friends, who are fellow attorneys, know Shannon never lets emotions rule her. They offer advice and will be there to rescue Shannon, but she allows no one to direct her life. That includes her married lover, the police chief, with whom she has engaged in a long-term affair.

Shannon jumps headlong into the defense of the good-looking senator accused of murdering his wife and her lover. The chemistry between Shannon and the senator sizzles, and she defies her boss, friends and lover to prove his innocence. When the senator drags her into the melodrama, Shannon awakens under a dead body. Hauled into the police station as a suspect, she finds herself on her own as the chief conveniently has left the building. In a downward spiral, Shannon attempts to find the killer before she ends up jobless, or worst -- dead.

The second in Ms. Marcella's murder series involving four women in the DA's office, starts at a record pace and never lets the suspense lessen. The plot is solid with enough red herrings to keep the killer's identity a surprise until the last nerve-racking page.