Between them, Senator Cale Caldwell and his blue-blooded wife controlled as much power on Capitol Hill as the law would allow. Sadly, it wasn't sufficient to protect him from a killer, even surrounded by his friends at a champagne reception in his honor.

The senator's murder wasn't the family's first brush with violence. Only two years ago, a niece had been murdered, her killer never found. But when attorney Lydia James, counsel to a Senate committee investigating the tragedy, suggests there might be a connection between the two deaths, she's voted down fast. Yet strange rumors persist. The senator's death could benefit many people, among them a bitter political adversary, an ambitious talk show host, and a master of spin who makes even murder look good . . .