Dr. Samantha Owens is starting over: new city, new job, new man, new life.

But before she's even unpacked her office at Georgetown University's forensic pathology department, she's called to consult on a case that's rocked the capital and the country. An unknown pathogen released into the Washington Metro has caused nationwide panic. Three people died—just three.

Amid the media frenzy and Homeland Security alarm bells, Sam painstakingly dissects the lives of those three victims and makes an unsettling conclusion. This is no textbook terrorist, but an assassin whose motive is deeply personal and far from understandable.

Xander Whitfield, a former army ranger and Sam's new boyfriend, knows about seeing the world in shades of gray. About feeling compelled to do the wrong thing for the right reasons. Only his disturbing kinship with a killer can lead Sam to the truth...and once more into the line of fire.

Recognition

• Romantic Times Top Pick!

Audio Extras

Foreign Editions

More Information

• Publisher: MIRA books

• Original release date: November 13, 2012

• Formats: Print, eBook, audiobook

• Audiobook narrator: Joyce Bean

Praise

"A breathtaking conclusion."  
– Publishers Weekly

"Ellison delivers another outstanding crime thriller that plays on many of a reader's emotions: fear, love, hate and shock among them. It's obvious from the first page that this is a master at work. . . . Fans of Michael Connelly or Patricia Cornwell should consider Ellison essential reading."  
– Romantic Times Top Pick!