Ruth Malone stands out from the crowd. Her make-up is always perfect, her clothes provocative and cigarettes, liquor and men seem to flow freely through her apartment. Does that make her a bad mother? Does that make her a killer? When the bodies of Ruth's missing children are discovered, the neighborhood and the police are quick to cast suspicion on Ruth. Pete, the fledging reporter assigned to the case, is looking for an angle, a way to make a name for himself. As Pete worms his way into the investigation, talking to everyone connected to the case, he begins to have doubts about Ruth's guilt and soon becomes obsessed with her and clearing her name. Ruth isn't a character that's easy to warm up to, but the reader gains a better understanding of her as the story progresses. You don't want her to be guilty. But then you remember the story opened with Ruth behind bars. So that settles it. Doesn't it?