What if we could no longer trust DNA profiling, the silver bullet of our criminal justice system? For years, we've relied on it to solve decades-old crimes, convict the guilty, and liberate the innocent from death row. But what happens to that trust when a crime lab scientist is leaned on to manipulate the evidence or, worse still, lose it altogether? Ruthless Seattle mayor, Patti Rainsford, announces her candidacy for state governor. She'll do anything to succeed. When her son is arrested for the rape and assault of a seventeen-year-old girl, Rainsford's political career is in jeopardy. Detective Linda Farrell is assigned to investigate. After twelve years working in SPD's sexual assault unit, her career is drifting, not helped by the single-minded detective's contempt for police protocol and the pressure of her failing marriage. The high-profile rape case is a rare chance to shine and maybe even get her life back on track. Nothing will stop her seeking justice...

Tom Harper, a Vancouver Island realtor, has the client from hell, Ali Page, a beautiful and intelligent young lawyer returning from the mainland to take up a job with an island law firm. Trouble is there's always something wrong with the properties Tom shows her, always a reason not to commit. Finally, after they find a condo she likes, he receives a text thanking him for his help. Ali signs off: I'm sad we won't get to spend more time together. Often cold and withdrawn throughout their weeks of searching, Ali's words seem strangely out of character. The texts keep coming, increasingly incoherent and disturbing. What does Ali mean by: we have a special connection, and why on earth would she say: I'll be here for you when you leave your wife? Happily married, Tom cannot understand why a woman not much older than his teenage daughter is suddenly obsessed with him. When he rejects Ali's unsolicited advances, Tom soon discovers the sinister depths to which a delusional mind...