Claire Marshall's world crumbled when her husband died in a fire. She's trying to build a new life - and a business restoring historic houses. Then one of her clients is found dead in a burned building. The police suspect her of arson or murder, maybe both.

It's her own fault. Finding the charred ruin of Charlie's cabin in a remote corner of Louisiana's bayou country revived horrible memories of her husband's death. She suffered a panic attack. Calling the sheriff hours later wasn't good enough.

No one believes Claire's relationship with the late Charlie Palmer was strictly business. After all, he spent his last days telling the world they were in love and planning to marry. How do you win an argument with a dead man?

Claire's quest to prove her innocence before the police "prove" her guilt becomes an investigation into the victim's life. It takes her back in time, from New Orleans to rural Alabama, to the high country of New Mexico, where she comes face to face with the real killer. Forced to fight for her life, she realizes how much she wants to live.