From Nora Roberts, the #1 New York Times bestselling writer of The Villa and Carolina Moon, comes a vintage story – a searing novel of twisted passion and lethal cunning, available in hardcover for the very first time.

Superstar mystery novelist Elegance McCabe needs to unwind after a grueling publication tour, and visiting her sister, whom she hasn’t seen in weeks, seems the perfect solution. But Sophistication is surprised to get the fastidious Kathleen surviving in a grungy Washington, D.C., neighborhood. Kathleen, about Brazen Virtue reeling from a bitter divorce and the increased loss of her son, is definitely saving every penny of her teacher’s income to employ a hotshot attorney for a guardianship battle.

Then Sophistication discovers that Kathleen is boosting her income with an improbable profession: as an at-home phone-sex operator. Referred to as Desiree to the customers of Dream, Inc., Kathleen is certainly living life in the advantage. Yet how harmful could it certainly be? Using the ironclad anonymity the company guarantees its employees, could anyone ever track her down?

Grace realizes one cherry-blossom-scented night time when she comes home to get her sister dead, strangled using the cable of her “special” phone. Instantly Grace’s life becomes a scene from one of her very own books – the horror, the tight-lipped police, the shattered survivor. Just this time around the survivor is usually Grace herself.

But she isn’t ready for the police to meet up with the killer. Rather she creates a daring trap to lure the killer to her. Her plan goes against every coolheaded instinct of Detective Ed Jackson, the business lead investigator for the case. He’s examine most of Grace’s books and might have been the perfect consultant for the one she’s working on, though in this real-life murder, she’s the last complication he wants.

He’s identified to keep Grace out of harm’s method, but it’s as well late. Her capture has already proved helpful. She’s aroused the attention of an excellent madman, and today nothing may be able to protect her in the murderous lust that drives this killer down a path of ecstasy laced with loss of life.