Still reeling from her mother's recent death, Karen Whitlaw is stunned when she receives a package containing a mysterious notebook from her estranged father. She has barely seen him since his return from the Vietnam War over twenty years ago and doesn't know what he could have to share with her now. She puts the notebook away and forgets about it until she receives a shocking phone call. Her father has been murdered on the gritty streets of New Orleans. At first, homicide detective Marc Chastain considers the murder nothing more than street violence against a homeless man, and Karen just another woman who couldn't take the time to care for her father. But something about the crime just doesn't add up, including the beautiful Karen Whitlaw. Far from the cold woman he expected, Karen is warm and passionate. She is also in serious danger. Karen is shocked by her immediate and unwelcome attraction to the charming, smooth-voiced detective. But when her home is burglarized and "accidents" begin to happen, she turns to him for help. Together they unravel a disturbing story of politics, power, and murder -- and face a killer who will stop at nothing to get his hands on her father's secrets.