From her peaceful Sonoma Valley home, art security expert Joanna Stark can't escape the crippling fear that Anthony Parducci - thief, art dealer, dreaded enemy and onetime lover - is nearby, hot on the trail of a newly discovered Van Gogh. Then a worthless but significant painting suddenly disappears from Joanna's own collection and she knows Parducci has left his calling card...challenging her to a deadly game of cat and mouse.

But when Parducci's dead body is found splayed in her living room, Joanna becomes a pawn in a much more sinister scheme - as past secrets, a priceless painting and a desperate killer create a masterpiece of murder.