People like Ann Buckhalter, the wife of a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, often stay at the Bachelor Officers' Quarter (B. O. Q.) when they return to Camp Lejeune to visit friends or shop at the Exchange. But their dead bodies don't end up floating in the nearby New River.

When Special Agent Fran Setliff and her Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) team investigate Ann's murder, they soon discover that more than one person's life has been simplified by the victim's death. As Fran delves into Ann's background, she begins to glimpse the unsavory things that go on behind the camouflage curtain—racial and gender discrimination, unethical medical practices, sexual indiscretions. As a freelance journalist for the local civilian newspaper, Ann was in a position to ruin more than one promising military career. But who killed her? In addition to the strong female character of Special Agent Setliff, the book is filled with interplay among various colorful individuals in the military ranks. Readers also gain insight into the strict hierarchy set up for military men and women and their spouses and children. Besides providing a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of a military base, B. O. Q. is a compelling detective story with an ending readers won't see coming.