Sandra Brown

When Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher is summoned to the home of Judge Cato Laird in the middle of the night to investigate a fatal shooting, he knows that discretion and kid-glove treatment are the keys to staying in the judge's good graces and keeping his job. At first glance, the case appears open-and-shut: Elise, the judge's trophy wife, interrupted a burglary in progress and killed the intruder in self-defense. But Duncan is immediately suspicious...

"Chase Tyler has been the object of Marcie John's desire since grade school ... when it came time to settle down, Chase chose another woman to be his bride. But things have a way of taking a tragic turn for the Tylers. In an instant, Chase's life is changed -- abruptly and irreparably. Ravaged by grief ... Chase abandons the family business, wanders aimlessly on the rodeo circuit and tries to drown his troubles in an endless succession of whiskey...