Chicago real estate agent Laurie Atkins is gardening beneath the relentless August sun when her dog's frantic barks divert her to a dead body sprawled on the front acreage of her Wisconsin summer home. She rushes inside to phone the police, but the body disappears. Laurie begins to doubt her own sanity. Then the unidentified body turns up on the driveway of Helga Beckermann, her devious neighbor.

When her emotionally withdrawn husband skips town on the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, Laurie uncovers truths she'd rather deny. Her family in peril, Laurie enlists the help of two women she thinks she can trust: former Chicago Tribune investigative reporter Mitzy Maven, and tough-talking CPD detective Maggie O'Connor.

"A brilliantly crafted story of what happens when life insurance companies play God, and how the dark desires of deceit and greed come home to roost."

—R.P.Dahlke, author of A Dead Red Heart and A Dead Red Cadillac

"A dramatic, fictional portrayal of the issues health insurance claimants face when confronted by fraudulent claims handling practices."

— Robert A. Shipley, AV Rated Trial Attorney