When teenager Irene Stenson sneaks into the house after curfew, her life is changed forever. She discovers both her parents dead on the kitchen floor, an apparent murder/suicide. Whisked away after the funeral to live with an aunt, Irene loses track of the town of Dunsley and everyone she knew there.

Seventeen years later, Irene is reluctantly drawn back to Dunsley when she receives an e-mail from an old friend, Pamela Webb, who's rich, spoiled and the daughter of a U.S. Senator on the road to the White House. Pamela and Irene were best friends the summer Irene's parents died. Never believing that her father shot her mother and then turned the gun on himself, Pamela's e-mail gives Irene hope that the truth is still out there...if only she can find it. Now a reporter for a small newspaper, Irene packs a bag and heads to Dunsley and her rendezvous with Pamela.

Ex-marine Luke Danner moved to Dunsley hoping to find a little peace and quiet in the small town. He couldn't have been more wrong. Luke is the proud owner of Sunrise on the Lake Lodge, purchased strictly for investment purposes, not because he is or wants to be a hospitable innkeeper. Luke's life starts getting a lot more interesting the night Irene checks in. First the pair finds Pamela's body. The next night Pamela's house burns down, and Irene and Luke are the prime suspects. Luke's goal is to keep Irene safe, but this course of action only draws him deeper and deeper into the type of sticky situation he had hoped to avoid by moving to Dunsley. Still, Luke can't bring himself to let Irene investigate on her own. Drawn to this haunted and prickly woman, Luke finds himself in the middle of a twisted case of murder and blackmail that eventually leads to the doorstep of some of the most powerful men in the country.

A new Jayne Ann Krentz novel! What's not to like? A plucky heroine, an alpha male, a solid story told by a tried and true storyteller - Krentz always entertains. Come January, you'll see her name above the title and pick it up without hesitation. It's comforting to have a handful of authors whose books can be bought with complete confidence that you as a reader won't be disappointed!