"The most dangerous moment comes with victory." Napoleon Bonaparte

Police dispatcher, Winnie Sinclair, gets off on the wrong foot with FBI agent Kilraven at a police department Christmas party. She gives Kilraven a secret present of a painting she had drawn, of a raven surrounded by colorful beads. Kilraven's reaction to seeing the drawing was to leave the party in anger.

Little did she know that the raven was Kilraven's daughter, Melly's favorite, even more so, when decorated with beads. Ever since Melly and Kilraven's wife had been murdered, seven years ago. The memory of those days was just too sad for him to bear.

Later that night, Winnie is surprised by a visit by her mother. She hadn't spoken to her mother since her mother had run off with Winnie's uncle, a drug dealer. Winnie's father never forgave his former wife and, when he drank, he used to beat Winnie because she looked so much like her mother.

Kilraven realizes that he had to explain his unexpected reaction to Winnie and invites her to his home where he shows her a drawing that his daughter made. It was the last thing she did before her murder. The raven in the drawing is so much like Winnie's drawing that Kilraven thought she had seen it before.

Still working on the case where his family was murdered, Kilraven finds a connection to Senator Sanders and the Senator's brother, Hank. He learns that the Senator has a home in Nassau where his wife stays. The Senator has a thing for young girls so his wife won't stay with him but doesn't want a divorce. When Kilraven learns that Windy's family owns a home that borders the Senator's, he thinks of a plan.

There's not a lot of action or suspense in this novel but for the reader looking for interesting characters, this book is a treat. Kilraven reminds me of Clint Eastwood's character, Rowdy Yates, in TVs "Rawhide." When a character named Matt enters the story, get ready to have your heart won over.

I recommend this story for those who enjoy romantic mysteries, with an emphasis on "romantic."