Newly-minted Santa Fe police detective Justine "Jace" Carroll finds herself enmeshed in what began as a simple death of a drifter that takes labyrinthine twists, drawing her deeper into a world of shifting realities. At the center of the tangled knot is the mesmerizing and mysterious Dante Sabanne, a sexy, powerful, wealthy recluse whose involvement with ancient poisons, mystical lore, exotic sexual practices and unusual weaponry makes him by turns a crucial expert witness, a devastating lover...and possibly the man behind a cult whose profane rituals have turned from depraved to deadly.

The Jace who thought she knew exactly who she was and what she wanted becomes both pawn and queen in a battle between the dark and the light. As she seeks to fulfill her duty to protect the innocent, an ancient amulet with healing powers is the battleground on which she and others may die if she makes the wrong choice between the evidence before her eyes and the yearnings of a heart she is no longer sure she can trust.