In this "gripping" ( South Florida Sun-Sentinel ) thriller in Jance’s New York Times bestselling Ali Reynolds series, Ali’s soon-to-be-ex-husband turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, and Ali soon finds herself in a twisted web of mystery and murder. The highway from Los Angeles to the Palm Springs desert is parched, unforgiving, and deadly. In the suffocating stillness of a car trunk, a man—his mouth and hands bound with tape—waits to learn his fate. Fortunately for him, he’ll never know. What possible enemy could be bitter enough to commit such a heinous crime? And when will the monster make another move? Ali Reynolds is traveling that same blistering, lonesome highway, looking forward to putting her past behind her. She’d left Los Angeles for the home comforts of Sedona, Arizona. But her cheating husband is in a hurry for a divorce; his very young and very pregnant fiancée has a wedding planned for the next day. And the television network that wrongfully dismissed Ali for the sole sin of being over forty will face her in court as well. So, Ali must return to the scene of those crimes. As she passes the site of a horrifying accident, she’s thankful it’s no longer her job to report the news. Until she finds out the news is her own: the victim is Ali’s husband, and soon she’ll find herself the prime suspect at the center of a terrifying web of evil. "A terrific suspense novel with great characters and a solid plot." - The Globe and Mail (Toronto) "Gripping...Jance's skills will keep the reader riveted." - Sun Sentinel (South Florida) "Characters so real you want to reach out and hug -- or strangle -- them. Her dialogue always rings true." -- "Cleveland Plain Dealer" "Heart-stopping...Jance deftly brings the desert, people, and towns of southeastern Arizona to life." -- "Publishers Weekly" "Jance delivers a devilish page-turner." -- "People" J.A. Jance is the New York Times bestselling author of the Ali Reynolds series, the J.P. Beaumont series, the Joanna Brady series, and the Walker Family series. Born in South Dakota and raised in Bisbee, Arizona, Jance lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. Visit her online at JAJance.com. Web of Evil { CHAPTER 1 } CUTLOOSEBLOG.COM Thursday, September 15, 2005 For all you cutloose fans out there who’ve been following my story from the beginning, tomorrow is the day the D-I-V-O-R-C-E becomes final. For those of you who may be new to the site, the last few months have been a bit of a bumpy ride since both my husband and my former employer simultaneously sent me packing in hopes of landing a younger model. My soon-to-be-ex, aka Fang, as he’s known in the blogosphere, called me yesterday. It was the first time I’d heard from him directly in several months. What surprised me more than anything was how much I DIDN’T feel when I heard his voice. That, I believe, is a good sign. It turns out Fang was calling, in his own imperious way, to make sure I’d be in court tomorrow so the divorce decree can be finalized. I could have given him grief about it. Could have claimed I was sick or maimed or just too annoyed to bother driving eight hours plus from Sedona over to L.A. And, had I done so, it would have sent him up a wall. You see, Fang needs this divorce right about now a whole lot more than I do. Our court appearance is scheduled Friday. Saturday is Fang’s wedding day. I’ve heard rumors that he and his blushing bride, aka Twink, are planning a big-deal celebration, a catered affair with all the right people in attendance at what used to be our joint domicile on Robert Lane. In view of the fact that Twink is expecting Fang’s baby within weeks of the scheduled nuptials, you might think a little more discretion was called for, but discretion has never been Fang’s long suit. For that matter, it must not be Twink’s, either, since the baby was conceived some time prior to my abandoning our marriage bed. For those of you who are concerned about my state of mind as I approach this change in marital status, don’t be. I’m fine. I’m ready to make a clean break of it; glad to have what was clearly my sham of a marriage—as far as Fang was concerned anyway—over and done with. I’m moving on with my new life. When you’re doing that, hanging on to the old one doesn’t help. Neither does bitterness. As my mother is prone to point out, bitterness destroys the container it’s in. If I do say so myself, this particular container is going to be in pretty fine shape tomorrow when I show up in court. With my son’s help, I’ve been working out. My personal shopper at Nordstrom’s down in Scottsdale has set aside a couple of new outfits for me. I plan on picking up one of them on my way through Phoenix later on this afternoon. In other words, for today anyway, I’m a rolling stone, and rolling stones gather no moss—and do no blogging. Posted 7:23 A.M., September 15, 2005 by Babe As soon as Ali Reynolds hauled her suitcase out of the closet, Samantha, Ali’