When she (yes, Michael is a female name in this book) determines that the two children in the middle of a custody case are being sexually abused by their father, she doesn't look forward to testifying in court. Unfortunately the case doesn't end the way she would like but soon after both the children are murdered. At first, everyone suspects the mother but things seem to point towards her too easily. Stone gets insight from sadistic inmates that she talks to in prison to help her determine if she missed anything in examination and if not, who exactly killed those two children?