Marla Cwitowitz - quirky, sexy and definitely "different" - is a Los Angeles law professor who yearns to be more than just the most beautiful member of her profession. Her lover is Al Giraud - tough, cool, an ex-cop and now a private detective, whom she wraps around her little finger except when she wants to become his partner. It isn't until they both notice the attractive couple in the Ritz bar that he finally is forced to ask for her help.
What they are witnessing is the beginning of a nightmare for the Mallard family. Within days Steve Mallard is in policy custody, accused of murdering Laurie Martin, the pretty real-estate saleswoman he was meeting. A phone call to Steve's wife to say that they believe he was not having an affair leads to a job for Al and Marla, and the impossible task of proving whether or not Steve is innocent.
They soon realise that Laurie Martin was much more mysterious than she seemed. But - did Steve kill her? Their investigations lead from a trailer park in Florida to a mansion in Texas, and finish with a life-and-death battle in San Francisco. For, by interfering in the Mallard curse, they have placed themselves in deadly danger.
