Driven to please, after work Peabody avails herself of the facilities of the police department gyms, choosing the older one cops rarely frequent. While showering, she overhears an argument between two cops; the female is the daughter of the much revered past Commander Oberman, the male is a subservient detective named Garnet. They discuss a weasel for the vice squad whose death was meant to appear as an overdose, as a punishment for taking funds they believed to be theirs, and enough other subjects to suggest to Peabody that they are corrupt cops.

Scared, Peabody arrives at Eve's doorstep with her lover, Detective Ian McNab, spilling the whole story. Eve understands instantly the problems and consequences of exposing dirty cops, so knows she must carefully formulate a plan of action that will also protect Peabody. Her agenda requires that she locate the dead cop and have the case assigned to her to investigate, thus giving her access to the much vaunted vice squad.

She, her husband Roark, McNab and Peabody quickly discover the body that night and the game is in play. Eve waits until early morning to notify her Commander Whitney who arrives at her home to get the complete story from Peabody off premise from the department. Subsequently Internal Affairs is involved by Eve contacting Webster, an old friend of whom Roark is jealous.

Renee Oberman is the lieutenant in charge of the Vice Squad, and pushing for captaincy. With Roark at the helm, Eve quickly discovers from financials that Renee and several members of her squad have squirreled away millions of dollars. Part of their larceny is easy; as they merely underestimate the drugs confiscated, selling the remainder for their personal accounts. In handling their many confrontations Eve is armed with this knowledge and certainly has the personality not to be intimidated by the famous Renee. Her attitude is also calculated to elicit the kneejerk responses it does from the dirtiest of the squad. These responses ultimately undo them all.

Eve's investigative techniques are familiar to fans as they run true to form throughout this story, and the involvement of Webster in Internal Affairs becomes a necessity as well.

Although Eve Dallas's investigations have become almost formulaic throughout the thirty-two books of the “In Death series,” this novel has a new freshness, no doubt generated by the infusion of warmth generated by the presence of so many "old friends" throughout the story.

--Thea Davis