Bantam, New York 1993

This is Laurie R. King´s first novel, starring young detective Kate Martinelli. She has to work together with experienced Inspector Hawkin who is anything but happy with his new partner. In the San Francisco area a young girl has been found murdered. She lived in an alternative community in the mountains, where Vaun Adams, a famous artist, has found refuge from unwelcome publicity. She served ten years for murdering a young girl, so now again the investigation centers on her. Just as important as solving the crime is Kate´s relationship with her lesbian lover and that with Hawkin, who reluctantly becomes her best friend.

It turns out, that several children have been killed and their murderer is not Vaun, naturally, but her former lover, a truly evil man. He tries to kill them all and injures Kate´s lover seriously before he himself is killed.

All in all a strange story and most probably a hommage to a painter Laurie King adored.