For the Negotiator, talk is never cheap. In a moment, he has to make connections with the crazed and the desperate and the lost. He has to promise, cajole and placate. Success is a rush. Failure would cripple a lesser man. Above all, he must stay detached. Beck Winters is the Negotiator. Despite everything he's seen and done, Beck's still sane, but only because he never allows himself to get close to anyone. Then during a hostage incident, he hears a voice over the phone line, Jennifer Barclay's voice. Jennifer's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her plan has always been to avoid excitement. But that was before she was taken hostage...before the incident ended badly...and before she met the Negotiator.

Lena McKinney is the Commander. Two years ago, Lena tried to be both a woman and a cop - it didn't work out. Now her ex-fiancé is back in town and her SWAT team has been assigned to protect him. Much as she'd like to walk away, Lena will do her duty, keeping her true feelings buried. But that's before the shots are fired...

A SWAT team is only as good as its weakest link. The Listener works hard to make sure that no link breaks. She's constantly watching the team, testing to see if anyone's getting too close to the edge. But she can't do much when her help is refused. Dr. Maria Worley is the Listener. Maria's latest case is the hardest she's ever had. In her experience, no patient has walked closer to the edge than Ryan Lukas. Worse, he's convinced himself that he's just fine. And to make things even more complicated, Maria - and her teenage son - need Ryan as much as he needs them. The Listener is about to learn that helping others is easier than helping yourself.

To some, the members of the bomb squad are more than a little left of normal. After all, when everyone else is running away from a bomb, they're heading toward it. In this line of work, precision, knowledge and nerves of steel are requirements - especially when a serial bomber makes the team his next target. Hannah Crosby and Quinn McNichol are perfect for each other - everyone thinks so. But sometimes being perfect isn't enough. Hannah wants more. Marriage, children, a future... Quinn doesn't think marriage - let alone children - is a good idea. He can never forget the dangers that people in their profession face every day. What happens if one of them doesn't come home one night? And now it seems as if a bomber is trying to help them answer that question.

The truth is supposed to set you free... After the birth - and death - of her child, Maya fled her hometown and made a new life for herself. Many years later, her lover's brother reveals she was told a lie. Her son is still alive. And now Maya is prepared to do whatever it takes to find him. Shepard Reyes wants to find his brother's child as much as Maya does. Now that the truth about his nephew is known, the boy's life is once again in danger. There are too many people who don't want him to claim what is rightfully his... .