Twisted family relationships, sociopaths, and conspiracy theories abound in the icy Cascade Mountains of Washington State. For fans of Karen Rose, Heather Gudenkauf, Allison Brennan, and Melinda Leigh.



Laurel's family was never simple—but her half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant, unpredictable psychopath, just made it lethal. Accused of murdering their father, a man she always called a monster, Abigail claims self-defense. As the trial unfolds and long-buried family secrets explode into headlines, Laurel's hard-won privacy is shattered. And the nightmare is just beginning.



Even as Abigail's trial consumes public attention, new dangers close in as the murder of a prominent scientist and the illegal poaching of a rare Pacific plant point to something insidious. Laurel turns to Washington Fish and Wildlife captain Huck Rivers for help. But the deeper they dig, the more the case seems to echo the chaos unraveling Laurel's world.

Laurel faces an impossible choice: trust Abigail in one crucial, treacherous alliance, or risk losing everything. Her career, her relationships, even her life. The clock is ticking—and if the threat breaks loose, nothing will be fast enough to stop it.