by Greg Iles
First published 2006
Dr. Chris Shepard has everything he wants at thirty six. A new marriage, a promising future, and a life that seems perfectly arranged. Then FBI Special Agent Alexandra Morse arrives at his office with shocking news. His beautiful wife is planning his murder. Shepard nearly throws Morse out, but doubt creeps in afterward. Small problems in his marriage suddenly look sinister. Paranoia takes hold. When Morse returns, Shepard agrees to help her expose a divorce attorney named Andrew Rusk who orchestrates spouse murders for clients. The scheme has already killed nine people, but the FBI cannot prove any crimes occurred. No autopsy reveals evidence of murder. Morse has personal stakes in the case. The killer murdered her sister, who died believing her husband arranged it. She made Morse promise to protect her ten year old nephew. As Shepard investigates his wife's past, he discovers the woman he loves and whose son he adopted truly wants him dead. Somewhere a brilliant assassin approaches, someone skilled enough to fool top forensic scientists and invisible enough that even clients never learn his identity.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Audiobook · Brilliance Audio
Content warnings: murder, violence