First published 1994
Portland wives are disappearing from their homes. Each vanishing leaves behind identical evidence: a black rose and a message reading "Gone, But Not Forgotten." Defense attorney Betsy Tannenbaum recognizes the pattern. The same terror once struck a distant community, bringing death in its wake. Now the nightmare has reached Oregon. Betsy finds herself defending a client who embodies contradiction. He wields power and influence while maintaining an icy demeanor that unsettles everyone around him. The case forces Betsy into an impossible position. She must determine whether her client suffers as a victim of circumstances or orchestrates events as a calculating predator. The investigation pulls Betsy deeper into danger. The killer's shadow extends across her professional life and threatens her personal world. She faces a choice that will test everything she values. Betsy must risk her career, her safety, and the people she cares about most to uncover the truth about her enigmatic client.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Portland, Oregon
Period: Contemporary
400 pages · Paperback · Albin Michel
Content warnings: violence