A billionaire’s commission draws an architect into a conspiracy of sex, lies, and murder.
The ship is dead in the water. Its lines are tangled and its sails are slack as it drifts toward the rocky coast. A fisherman spies the vessel and steps aboard, expecting it to be deserted. But there is one passenger: a lovely young woman with a rolled-up painting in her hand and two bullets in her chest.
Across Lake Michigan, Matthias Curland returns to Chicago for the first time since he gave up architecture to devote himself to fine art. After emptying his bank accounts for the pursuit of painting, he’s shocked to find that his once-affluent family is also destitute, and their famed architecture firm is on the verge of bankruptcy. When the Curland name is linked to the dead woman’s painting, Matthias finds himself facing off against a power-mad billionaire who could bring Chicago to its knees.
