Wilcox's boss, Paul Morehouse, pressures him to investigate and keep the story on the front page, in order to keep the circulation up. When another young woman is found murdered in nearby Franklin Park under similar circumstances, Wilcox, with no real evidence to support his story, theorizes that a serial killer is at work. His story improves his position as a top crime reporter and he is given many TV interviews and becomes an instant celebrity on talk shows. There is even a possible book contract. He is at odds with the Metropolitan Police and detective Edith Vargas who can find no basis for the serial killer theory. His daughter, Roberta, is an up and coming TV journalist who competes with her father for scoops on the case.

Further complicating his life, Wilcox's brother, Michael, appears in Washington after being released from a mental hospital where he had been for forty years for the murder of a young neighbor. Wilcox had kept Michael a secret from his daughter. Michael intrudes into their lives. He becomes a suspect in the murders when Wilcox receives letters from the killer written on Michael's typewriter, letters Joe Wilcox has written in an effort to support his theory and keep the story on the front page. This is a violation of all ethical standards and when the real murderer is revealed, Joe must own up to his deceit.

This is a disappointing book, just an average mystery, not up to Truman's usual style of politics and intrigue. There is little of the familiar Washington D.C. landmarks we have come to expect and there is little action. The plot focus is primarily on Joe's relationship with his brother. Wilcox is a sympathetic and complex character faced with the fact that his life is collapsing around him. It is a tale of ambition involving questions of journalistic integrity versus the competition which drives the Washington media. Truman gives an insightful portrayal of the ethical dilemmas faced by these journalists. I have come to expect more substance from Truman and hope for that in her next book. Perhaps Murder in the Department of Homeland Security?