Police Lieutenant Phoebe MacNamara found her calling at an early age when an unstable man broke into her familys home trapping and terrorizing them for hours Now shes Savannahs top hostage negotiator defusing powderkeg situations with a talent for knowing when to give in-and when to jump in and take action Its satisfying work-and sometimes those skills come in handy at home dealing with her agoraphobic mother still traumatized by the break-in after all these years and her precocious seven-year-old Carly Its exactly that heady combination of steely courage and sensitivity that first attracts Duncan Swift to Phoebe After observing her coax one of his employees down from a roof ledge he is committed to keeping this intriguing take-charge woman in his life Shes used to working solo but Phoebes discovering that no amount of negotiation can keep Duncan at arms length And when shes grabbed by a man who throws a hood over her head and brutally assaults her-in her own precinct house-Phoebe cant help but be deeply shaken Then threatening messages show up on her doorstep and shes not just alarmed but frustrated How do you go face-to-face with an opponent who refuses to look you in the eye Now with Duncan backing her up every step of the way she must establish contact with the faceless tormentor who is determined to make her a hostage to fear before she becomes the final showdown.
