A girl is murdered. A conspiracy unfolds. And ten strangers find themselves unwitting participants in a grand scheme by a shadowy group known only as the Quad.

When Sadie Nichols discovers her cousin Justine's drug addiction, she moves back to Baton Rouge to begin the process of adopting Justine's teen daughter, Eva. While Sadie is laser-focused on opening a business and providing a good life for Eva, the last thing she expects is to run into the boy next door—her childhood crush—Declan Park.

After spending several years in New Orleans working his way up to detective, Declan moves home and lands his first big case—a murder at the governor's mansion. Witnesses provide a suspect and a perfectly matching story, but Declan knows nothing in police work comes so easily.

Amid dealing with a media frenzy and corruption that goes beyond his wildest imagination, Declan is forced to confront newly unearthed feelings for the girl next door. Gone is the girl and in her place stands a successful business woman in the process of becoming a mom to a teenager. Declan needs to decide whether he can fit into Sadie's life—and then convince Sadie it's where he belongs.

Romantic suspense meets Southern Gothic—with a dash of Louisiana magic.

Declan and Sadie's story is book one of five in The Strangers Saga: Baton Rouge.