Mira Gallier had everything she wanted in life up until the day that Hurricane Katrina struck her city of New Orleans. She had a beautiful home, a thriving business that she loved, and a husband she adored. Then, just like that, her life was forever altered and there was nothing she could do to change it. While her home still stood, her business was pulverized and her husband missing, presumed dead. Mira was so traumatized by all the loss, particularly that of her husband, that she disappeared into a haze of drugs.

Now, six years later, through the help of a therapist, Mira has been able to wean herself off the drugs and rebuild her business through the help of a therapist and her friend, Deni. Mira has made a name for herself as a stained glass artist and has kept quite busy in repairing large stained glass windows from churches that were damaged during Katrina. She's busy but not exactly happy with her life.

Mira has never really gotten over the loss of her husband, Jeff. It had been her idea for the two of them to stay and ride out the hurricane so she has a severe case of survivor's guilt. But she stays busy doing the work she loves. That somehow makes it easier to put up with such things as her in-laws hatred of her.

Suddenly things start get strange around her. Beginning with the murder of a priest and the vandalism of some stained glass windows in the same church, her life starts to spiral in a crazy way. Mira and Deni are called in to clean up the windows, which they do with the help of Deni's boyfriend, Chris. The following day, a homeless man attacks Mira at her studio and steals a necklace from Mira's neck that had been bought for her by Jeff on their honeymoon. The following night, Mira's sure she senses someone standing by her bed but chalks it up to a dream when she wakes up to no one there. That opinion changes as soon as she turns on the lamp and finds her stolen necklace draped over the lampshade. Other odd things follow such as smelling Jeff's cologne and a phone call from him.

By now the police are involved because there are other murders and they all seem to lead back to Mira. When an old friend, Connor Scott, suddenly shows back up in her life, she's happy to see him, having realized how few friends she had left. In fact, Connor may be someone that can help her move on to a happier life, if she'll only let him.

As the body count rises, it starts to become clear that Mira, herself, may be in danger. With the police still considering her to be a suspect rather than potential victim, she's not sure who she can trust. On top of that, she's begun to wonder if Jeff ever really died during Katrina. But if that was true, where had he been the last six years?

With one twist after another, Erica Spindler turns out yet another spine tingling tale of her city, New Orleans. Ms. Spindler never misses and this one is a story to lose yourself in. If you're a fan, you'll run into some old friends from some of her other books. Don't miss this one.

Book Summary

In Spindler's thrilling new psychological drama, one woman's journey to recovery becomes her worst nightmare... Before Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, stained-glass restoration artist Mira Gallier had it all: a thriving business doing work she loved and an idyllic marriage to the perfect man. But the devastating storm stole her beloved husband his body swept away by floodwaters, never to be found. Now, after years of pain and turmoil, it looks as if Mira is finally on the verge of peace and emotional stability. But her life, like the magnificent windows blown to bits by Hurricane Katrina, is about to be shattered once again. And this time, it's not a killer storm she faces, but a psychopath who will stop at nothing until he possesses her, body and soul... First, church windows that she restored are vandalized, and the priest who looked over them brutally murdered. Spray-painted across the glass are the words: He Will Come to Judge the Living and the Dead. Then, New Orleans is rocked by a terrifying chain of murders that all seem to be linked to Mira. The police, led by homicide detective Spencer Malone, are following a string of clues left by the killer on each victim and beginning to wonder if the murderer isn't Mira Gallier herself. As Mira begins to unravel under pressure from all sides and fear for her life it's unclear whom she can trust. And when a man from her past appears out of nowhere, sparking something long forgotten in her heart, he quickly becomes the police's new prime suspect. One by one, the people in Mira's life are targeted, until it's clear that the killer has been saving her for last . . . and that there's nowhere left to run.

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