A taut, erotically charged literary noir set in Houston about a woman caught up in her friends shocking murder, and the dark truths she uncovers.Before the drugs, Danielle Reeves was Charlotte Fords most loyal and vibrant friend. She helped Charlotte through her mothers illness and death, and opened up about her own troubled family. The two friends were inseparable, reveling in Houstons shadowy corners. But then Danielles addiction got the best of her and she went to prison for four years. When she gets out, she and Charlotte reconnect. Charlotte hopes this is a new start for their friendship.But then, a detective shows up at Charlottes apartment. Danielle has been murdered, bludgeoned to death.Overwhelmed by grief, Charlotte is determined to understand how the most alive person she has ever known could end up dead. But the deeper Charlotte descends into Danielles dark world, the less she understands. Was Danielle a hapless victim or master manipulator? Was she really intent on starting over or was it all an act? To find out the truth, Charlotte must keep her head clear and her guard up. Houston has a way of feeding on bad habits and Charlotte doesnt want to get swallowed whole, a victim of her own anguished desires.