Sheila O'Rourke has always known her husband isn't perfect. Who is? But things have been better since they moved to Seattle to make a fresh start. So much so that when 16-year-old Eden turns up, claiming to be Dylan's child by another woman, Sheila tries to be welcoming.

Virginia Abrams believed the war had taken all it could from her when her husband was killed in the Philippines. One year later, she's in a dark, unexpected quandary—pregnant and on the run to avoid a ruthless political family that wants to erase all connections between her and the man who assaulted her.

The houses in Willow Tree Court are sleek and modern—the kind designed to harbor happy families and laughing children. No one would guess the secrets that lurk beyond the neat lawns and beautiful facades. Molly Dennehy is trying to fit in to her new surroundings, though her neighbors are clearly loyal to her husband's ex-wife. But that's the least of Molly's worries. Her stepson's school has been rocked by a brutal slaying, and a psychopath known as the Cul-de-Sac Killer is murdering families in Seattle homes. Homes just like Molly's.

A young Portland couple is brutally murdered in a game gone awry. A Chicago woman plummets to her death from an office building. An aspiring screenwriter is asphyxiated in his New York apartment. At first, the deaths seem random. But then television reporter Sydney Jordan starts receiving macabre souvenirs that hint at a connection—one that is both personal and terrifying.

Twelve women have vanished, leaving behind no trace or clue—their whereabouts still a mystery after eleven years. Amelia Faraday is beautiful, smart, and a walking disaster. Suffering from blackouts, she also suffers from something worse—the feeling that she is personally involved in a series of deaths. Now as a new series of murders begins, and she continues to suffer from blackouts, Amelia is left wondering if she is a cold-blooded killer—or a pawn in a deadly game that's only just beginning....