Investigative reporter Hallie Ahern left Boston in disgrace after compromising a story by sleeping with the accused. Now she's working as a lowly reporter in a little bureau office of The Providence Morning Chronicle in Rhode Island, trying to put her lonely, miserable life back together. It's hard though, when all the reporting she does is writing about neighborhood happenings. Having licked her drug demons, the only addiction Hallie can now afford is calling in to the late-night radio talk show, using a fake name and voicing her opinions on whatever subject is being discussed. Lately, those heated discussions have been about legalizing casino gambling in the area.

One night, Hallie is in her local market buying groceries and a Lotto ticket, when she witnesses the gruesome murder of the store owner. She knows the police are wrong when they pursue it as a robbery gone bad. That's not what she saw, so her investigative nature takes over, and she becomes involved even further in trying to learn the truth. Then she receives valuable information about the deceased from a confidential source, and there's no turning back. Not even when she receives death threats, or when sexy Matt Cavanaugh from the attorney general's office pleads with Hallie to stop her meddling in the case. He knows, as does she now, that it could mean her life.

This book starts off slowly, then becomes fast-paced as Hallie uncovers more clues to what really happened and why it's so important that she not discover the truth. I really enjoyed this intense mystery.