When Pamela Edwards is found shot to death, Lt. Joe Kenda must shield her young daughters from the crime scene; soon police close in on Edwards' killer, leading to a white-knuckle car and foot chase across Colorado Springs, Colo.

Violence erupts after uninvited guests crash a barrio birthday party, leaving Enrique Urrutia dead; to prevent a gang war from breaking out, Lt. Joe Kenda must crack an unwritten code of silence and bring Enrique's killer to justice.