During the height of a particularly brutal Vermont winter, the body of a woman is found hanging from the steel-mesh retaining nets lining the cliffs along interstate. Susan Raffner was brutally murdered, with the word "dyke" carved into her chest. She was also a state senator and best friend and ally of the current governor, Gail Zigman. At Zigman's personal request, Joe Gunther and his Vermont Bureau of Investigation team agree to help the Vermont State Police in their investigation before the victim's high profile and powerful friends create the inevitable publicity maelstrom. Raffner was indeed a lesbian, and the word carved into her chest might be evidence of a hate crime, or it might be a feint designed to confuse and mislead investigators. But the questions remain--what was she involved with, who wanted her dead, and what company did she keep? What Gunther and his team discover during their initial investigation isn't the stuff of a simple murder. Someone has killed a prominent figure and gone to great lengths to stage the scene. And this may be only the beginning....--Adapted from book jacket.