Attorney to the stars C.J. Dunn has adjusted well to life in Miami after a move from L.A. seven years before, closely followed by the death of her husband. Now her reputation has brought her the possibility of hosting a television show about murderers, which will rocket her rising star and place her squarely where she's always wanted to be.

When an old friend with both Hollywood and political ties asks her a favor, C.J. is disinclined to take the proffered case – representing the chauffeur/bodyguard of a prominent Senator involved in a local building project. The driver, Rick Slater, was reportedly the last person to see a missing girl who is presumed dead. Senator Shelby wants his own and Rick's involvement kept as much under wraps as possible.

C.J., against her better judgment, is bribed into taking the case, and regrets it almost instantly. She's a woman with a secret past of her own, but she expects honesty from her clients – and Rick is far from forthcoming with the facts.

Alana, the missing girl, was heavily involved in the Miami nightlife as she tried to make something for herself. Since C.J.'s boyfriend, Billy Medina, is often the center of said nightlife, she finds herself asking a lot of uncomfortable questions. When a runaway girl from C.J.'s northern Florida hometown becomes tied to the case as well, C.J. is suddenly torn as she tries to protect Kylie as well as her client and Senator Shelby.

C.J. quickly becomes convinced that Alana's abduction and murder are tied to bigger things, and the mystery takes readers into a virtual plethora of settings: seedy neighborhoods, run-down apartments, high society parties, and political functions. She runs into drug dealers, pornographers, and the bad sides of people with whom she has associated for years.

All of the characters in The Dark of Day are FABULOUS – even the bad guys. And what's really great about some of them is that you don't even really realize who all of the "bad" guys are for a big chunk of the novel, and in a few cases you'll still like them after their truer nature reveals itself. The characters are flawed, and utterly human; sometimes they are entirely likable and sometimes you'll just want to stamp your foot at their idiotic tactics. C.J.'s struggle with alcoholism is touching, frustrating, and so true to life. Though her relationship with Rick— both as a client and as an attractive man— isn't as hashed-out as one might like, C.J.'s interactions with Kylie as well as numerous other peripheral characters are wonderful. The secrets to her life reveal themselves in different ways throughout the novel and they, if nothing else, will keep readers salivating.

--Sarrah Knight