Geraldine Brooks

With her husband out of town, Lucia Harper has her hands full keeping her household in order. Her headstrong daughter, Bea, has taken up with a louse named Ted Darby and persists in meeting him despite her mother's warnings. During one tryst, Bea and Darby quarrel violently. Bea accidentally kills Darby and runs away. To protect her family, Lucia disposes of the body. Because of this rash act, she faces not only a murder investigation, but two ruthless...