Jon Blackhawk is an intelligent straitlaced FBI agent who is doggedly being chased by several women whom his mother deems to be just right for her son who is just too busy to have a social life. If truth be told, Jon just isn't interested in getting married and that's why he isn't looking. Joceline Perry, his administrative assistant, works tirelessly on his behalf to help him avoid his mother's traps.

Joceline and Jon have a rather intriguing work relationship after five years. Joceline has a quick wit and biting sense of humor which, if Jon would admit, keeps him on his toes. Both Joceline and Jon consider themselves rather conservative but don't confuse that with boring -- the repartee between them is comical and entertaining and if they were honest with themselves it borders on flirtatious. But Joceline's life is based on a series of lies she has somewhat mastered. Having a child out of wedlock is something that was very out of character for Joceline but when she found herself pregnant after a one night encounter she knew abortion was out of the question -- she wanted this child. Being a single mother was difficult enough but dealing with an asthmatic son with attention problems and facing being ostracized even in this modern day made Joceline's edginess almost a defense mechanism.

But now Jon and Joceline are facing a very precarious situation. It seems that they have become the target for retribution from the family of a man who they helped capture and convict. Even from within prison, orders are being carried out. Jon realizes that his entire family's safety is at stake and even Joceline has received threats which put her and her son at risk. Secrets can be damaging and even deadly and now Joceline is concerned that her secret will be revealed and increase the danger to her and her son. But Joceline isn't the only one with secrets. Someone close to the Blackhawk family is keeping a secret which could leave the entire family vulnerable. And as the facts are uncovered the family realizes that there could also be a connection to the murder of Jon's sister-in- law and his young niece. The tentacles of the killer are spreading and getting ready to strike again. There is a fine line between evil and madness. As the killer gets closer, the feelings between Jon and Joceline are harder to fight and pretty soon it's their future they are fighting to protect.

Palmer not only reinvents the relationship between two quirky characters in this latest Jacobsville story but manages to finally bring closure to a story from a previous book. Interestingly, the reader doesn't realize that there was any need for closure. Just enough plot twists to keep everyone guessing.