A Shamus Award-winning Author Private investigator Lena Padget has seen far too many women and children fall through the cracks of the legal system, and she has made it her life's work to redeem as many of them as she can. She and her lover, homicide detective Joel Mendez, have just moved into their dream cottage, signifying the beginning of a committed relationship. But Lena and Joel are soon torn by the need to balance personal trust with professional commitment when they find themselves working different ends of the same case.