"Danielle Reeves was Charlotte Ford's most loyal and vibrant friend. She helped Charlotte through her mother's illness and death, and opened up about her own troubled family. The two friends were inseparable, reveling in Houston's shadowy corners. But Danielle's 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. Then a detective shows up at Charlotte's 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. The deeper Charlotte descends into Danielle's 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 the truth, Charlotte must keep her head clear and her guard up. Houston has a way of feeding on bad habits, and Charlotte doesn't want to get swallowed whole." -- jacket.