It must be mere chance that puts freelance writer Liz Sullivan on the scene when the body of beautiful Jenifer Paston is discovered -- and coincidence that Jenifer happens to be a star at SoftWrite, the Silicon Valley company where Liz is temping. After all, she's barely met the dead woman.

Liz's neighbor, police detective Paul Drake, tells her to stay home and mind her writing, and she'd like nothing better. Unfortunately -- with a runaway niece and a homeless pup on her hands -- she has to earn a living. The best -- and worst -- place to earn it is turbulent SoftWrite, where spite, sex, and greed take top priority, and where the computer games are murder....