When nurse Marlene Saur is poisoned in the offices of the orthopedic practice she works in, suspicion naturally falls on the last person to see her alive, her ex-husband, Ed Penfield.
Detective John Mason has to walk a very fine line between Ed and his estranged brother (and Mason's own friend), Ron Penfield. But it is Mason's job to follow the evidence where it leads, without regard for his friendship with Ron, and the available evidence points directly to Ed.
But the way the poison was administered requires very precise medical knowledge - knowledge that it's hard to believe Ed, who is a small-town lawyer, has.
Ron and his new wife, Clarissa, (and Ron's kids) are just settling into their new life when Ed calls to say he's in trouble. Ed's alcoholism caused the rift between the brothers, and Ron's instinct is to refuse to help.
And the case is about to capsize Mason's own life in ways he couldn't have imagined.
