In this classic military mystery—featuring a nurse who moonlights as a sleuth—"the whirlwind finale is as breathless . . . as any ending in some time" ( The New York Times ).
While visiting her lifelong friend on a navy base in California, nurse Sarah Keate voluntarily fills in at the hospital, taking on the night shift. One of the patients in her care is Lieutenant Parly, a handsome, troublemaking, young sailor. Hospitalized after a car crash, he's recovering from a concussion and some broken ribs. Nothing serious—until his throat is cut . . .
The isolated base has vast stores of ammunition and is a well-guarded outpost, surrounded by miles of desert and mountain ranges. The comings and goings of its staff and their families are closely monitored, leading to the conclusion that the killer must be one of their own. As gossip and rumors swirl around the base, Sarah digs deep into witness accounts and her own memories of that tragic night to root out the truth about one woman's murky past, and the killer who has crawled out of it . . .
"Exceptionally good." — San Francisco Chronicle
"A perfect puzzler." — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
