A shocking death at St. Michael's Church pitches Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle into a confusing case--one where the motive for the crime is not at all clear, and only becomes less so as the investigation unearths a massive criminal enterprise. Why was the murder of such a famous man necessary? And why does Doyle have the sense that the killer had to steel himself to commit the crime? Once again, Doyle has to keep a wary eye on her husband, Chief Inspector Acton, as she ponders these strange events; Acton may protest his innocence but she knows--in the way she knows things--that he's harboring a secret, which does not bode well for her peace of mind.