Ventura County probation officer, law student, and single mom Carolyn Sullivan, first introduced in Sullivan's Law (2004), has a truly sinister criminal as a client this time. Sullivan is known throughout the county for her remarkable ability to get perps to talk--about why they did the heinous things they did. Meanwhile, it's Carolyn's brother, Neil, who causes her the most anxiety; he's an artist and a dreamer, which Carolyn finds endearing, but he also lives dangerously close to the edge, which unnerves her. Too close, it turns out, when he calls Carolyn with the news that his girlfriend was found dead in his pool. Sure, he's eccentric, but is he a killer? Carolyn has been protective of Neil since their father's death, but when a family secret is revealed, she begins to doubt how well she really knows him. Still, she resolves to help him. This is a bit of a departure for Rosenberg, more psychological thriller than police procedural, but the sense of authenticity is still present, and the author's ability to generate narrative drive still holds readers. A dark, perilous, and compelling ride. Mary Frances Wilkens