Nate Stonehouse and his partner, "Lep" Riley, were the most successful homicide detectives in the history of the Columbus Division of Police. But then the Washburn case nearly destroyed them. Retired from the job under a cloud, Riley has fallen off the grid, and Stonehouse now runs an off-campus residence for students at The Ohio State University, when he isn't investigating cases for the Public Defender's office or taking on an occasional case having to do with a student in trouble. Now, Lindsay Peterson, a shy, chubby little freshman, who sings like an angel has disappeared, and her professor, a knockout symphony violinist, who seems to have a crush on Nate, wants her found. To find her, Nate will have to deal with the Latin Kings, the Dixie Mafia, the Columbus police, a former partner who's become a loose cannon, and his own past. What could possibly go wrong?