On a sultry midsummer's night, while a full moon bathed the hazy Gulf Coast, a riptide was forming...pulling all caught in its path into the fury of the foaming sea. The noble Hampton family, with its legacy of sin and scandal, suffers the ultimate tragedy - the ruthless murder of one of its own.The heiress to the Hampton fortune is dead, and there are two people who can unravel the case - Jake Seringo, the cynical cop who grew up on the mean streets of life, and Claire Connelly, the beautiful but aloof broadcast journalist. They'd parted years ago on explosive terms - now they are on the trail of a bizarre and shocking family secret that could topple a dynasty. But will their search for truth and glory reunite them forever - or utterly destroy them both?