Smoke, rubble and the body of an unidentified woman are all that remains of a favourite New Haven eatery. Misisng is the restaurant's owner, a man known as much for his perfect penne as he is for his hand in an illegal gambling operation. Crime reporter Annie Seymour can't pass up a golden opportunity for the perfect story and the chance to pound the pavement she knew as a child. But for Annie, home is NOT where the heart is and a cold reception is all that greets her enquiring ways. To complicate matetrs, Annie's father, who is a friend of the missing man, is suddenly underfoot. As Annie connects the dots that point to an elusive mob ring, she must confront the fact that she's become an outsider in her own neighbourhood - and that she may be its next victim.