Detective Jude Devine doesn't face too many challenges based in remote Paradox Valley. However when the body of a local teenager shows up with a stake through her heart, Jude finds herself leading an investigation no one wants to touch.

When a small boy is kidnapped from his home, most of Montezuma County turns out for the search. But nothing is as it seems with this case, and Detective Jude Devine soon finds herself caught up in a small-town soap opera whose players seem more interested in their 15 minutes of fame than in the fate of little Corban.

Sheriff's detective Jude Devine thought she'd left her past in Washington, D.C. When the reclusive millionaire Fabian is found murdered in Paradox Valley, a photograph of Jude's missing brother Ben is found among his possessions. Finally, Jude has the chance to solve the mystery that has stalked her since childhood.