he gas fire is on, fake coals glowing, flames flickering away manically at the overheated room. The fireplace is cut stone, fake-rustic to go with the adorable little artisan cottage. The woman's head is resting on the corner of the hearth. / Being on the Murder Squad is nothing like Detective Antoinette Conway dreamed it would be. Stephen Moran, Conway's partner, is the only person who seems glad she is there. The rest of her working life is a stream of thankless cases, vicious pranks, and harassment. Antoinette is tough, savagely, but she is getting close to the breaking point. Their new case looks like another lovers' quarrel gone bad. Aislinn Murray is blond, pretty, and dead in her catalog-perfect living room, next to a table set for a romantic dinner. There is nothing unusual about her; except that Antoinette has seen her somewhere before. And that her death will not stay in its neat by-the-numbers box. Other detectives are trying to push Antoinette and Steve into arresting Aislinn's boyfriend. There is a shadowy figure at the end of Antoinette's road. Aislinn's friend is hinting that she knew Aislinn was in danger. And everything they find out about Aislinn takes her further from the passive doll she seemed to be. Antoinette knows the harassment has turned her paranoid, but she can't tell just how far gone she is. Is this case another step in the campaign to force her off the squad, or are there darker currents flowing beneath its surface? -- Container.