In this second book of the Kay Scarpetta series, she finds herself attempting to avoid a killer in nearly the same way that one of the victims attempted to avoid the killer. A romance writer is murdered in her home after turning off her alarm and opening up the door to someone outside. The victim's lawyer, who is an obnoxious person, accuses Scarpetta of absconding with the last manuscript written before her murder. Marino is up to his same nonsense, and the descriptions of his rude comments and gross behavior in other reviews are accurate. One can hope that he grows up a little at some point and stops being so boorish.