Dev Conrad investigates a candidate for public office who will do anything to keep her past a secret
When a political campaign goes off the rails, Dev Conrad is called in to set things right. He returns to his old stomping ground of Illinois when the chief of staff for Congresswoman Susan Cooper begins to worry about his candidate's habit of disappearing for hours in the middle of the day. Dev trails her to a seedy motel on the edge of her district, where she keeps a rendezvous that could destroy her career. After she leaves, he slips into the motel room, where he finds bloody towels and a business card for one of the toughest political operatives in the business.

To protect Cooper, Dev must learn what she's been hiding from her campaign. When the agent she'd been talking to is found murdered, Dev starts to worry less about keeping Cooper in Congress than keeping her out of jail.