What Lies Behind

Former medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens teaches at Georgetown University Medical School and consults for the FBI's behavioral unit. When her friend Homicide Lieutenant Darren Fletcher invites her to a crime scene in her neighborhood to offer a fresh set of eyes, she has no idea what is unfolding. Discovering vials of potentially lethal substances leads Sam to suspect something more menacing than a domestic dispute that turned into murder/suicide. The investigation intensifies to include the FBI, the State Department, bioterrorism, computer encryption, and international espionage. At the same time, Sam's love interest Xander finds himself in a precarious situation while providing protection for an international mogul. The danger to Sam and those close to her grows as clues are uncovered, Sam's and Xander's cases intersect, and threats of a national pandemic loom. In a side story that promises to recur in the series, Sam unwittingly becomes the target of a serial murderer/stalker.