In 1991, Julia Wilkes, a zealous young reporter, covered the murder of a teenage girl in Fairbanks, Alaska. Julia's stories relentlessly linked the girl's boyfriend, Josh Harrison, to the crime--up to the day that the basketball star shot himself in the head.

Twenty years later, Julia, now a Seattle journalism professor and syndicated columnist, comes back to Fairbanks on a sabbatical just in time to hear about a serial killer's confession to the long-ago slaying. With Josh exonerated, Julia is haunted by whether her stories pushed him to end his life--and when a stalker begins to make attempts on her life, the stakes grow even higher. Suspects and motives abound: Julia's enraged a pro-life group with a recent column; she's drawn a jealous woman's wrath; she's unintentionally drawn the attention of a demented homeless person; and there's always the possibility that someone from her past has come to collect vengeance for Josh's death.

While Julia dodges danger, she pursues love and red-hot passion with R.L., a local business owner who carries his own guilt for Josh's death. The longer she stays in Fairbanks, the more things escalate--until they come to a head in a final, fiery showdown.