Concord, Massachusetts is a picture-postcard town: birthplace of the American revolution, home of Emerson and Thoreau. Its privileged citizens guard their heritage, their wealth . . . and their secrets. Psychiatrist Harry Kline listens to those secrets. But someone thinks Harry has heard too much--and wants him silenced . . . for good.

A prominent Concord man has been cut down in a hit-and-run accident. The murder investigation zeros in on one of Harry's patients . . . and then on Harry's lover. Who is the killer? And was it really an accident . . . or something more sinister?

Harry's world is turned upside down as his personal and professional lives collide. Who can Harry--the keeper of others' secrets--tell his secrets to? To a lawyer, a priest, or a therapist? To his daughter, a friend, or a stranger . . . or the ghost of his departed wife?

Before he's through, Harry will learn his most important lesson: That evil is easy. And in its battle against goodness and mercy, evil always has a head start. . . .

From the Paperback edition.