The cruel and bizarre slaying of a beautiful teen leads Detective Decker into the dark heart of an exotic subculture: the seamy, sometimes violent world of Southern California's rootless, affluent youth. But even the confession of a disturbed kid with cold "killer eyes" cannot soothe Decker's inner torment. For he knows in his gut this crime goes much deeper and higher than anyone expects -- and that true justice, brutal and complete, has yet to be done.
Found tied to a cheap hotel bed after prom night, the dead girl leaves behind wild parties and terrified classmates. Her date, an enigmatic teenage cello prodigy, has ties to an organized crime family back east.
He senses the rot spreading behind the security gates of the West Valley, where privileged youth trade in drugs and parents hire lawyers before answering a single question.
Interrogating the victim's circle convinces Decker that fear is driving their silence, masking a conspiracy behind closed doors.
Faye Kellerman lives with her husband, New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman, in Los Angeles, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico.