MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: The "blue flu" has struck the Seattle Police Force and the majority of officers are on an unofficial strike. Overworked and understaffed, detective Lou Boldt is committed to remaining on the job no matter what. But when a string of robberies and the brutal near-murder of a female cop descend on the city, the pressure of being a nearly one-man operation threatens Bodt's psyche and his marriage. With the help of Daphne Matthews and Sergeant John LaMoia, Boldt is able to make slow progress cracking the case and their work leads them to a Denver convict and his brother, a hardened criminal. Boldt and Daphne come to realize that the robberies, assaults, and strike are somehow connected--and that his life is now in very real danger.
THE ART OF DECEPTION: A troubled Mary Ann Walker takes a nosedive off a bridge. Seattle's police department macho man John LaMoia takes the call, along with the beauteous cop psychologist Daphne Matthews. They suspect her boyfriend, known to beat Mary Ann. Her seething brother, Ferrell, is convinced the boyfriend did the deed. But the case somehow becomes too slippery to close.
Lou Boldt, the supervising officer, is entangled in a conundrum of his own: two women have disappeared and a road crew worker's death may have a connection to the missing women. A peeper who's photographing undressed women at tourist hotels becomes Boldt's best suspect, along with a man who is stalking and terrifying Daphne.
As both cases heat up, so does the sexual tension between Matthews and LaMoia leading them both into unknown emotional territory.
THE BODY OF DAVID HAYES: Years ago, Lou's wife Liz had an extramarital affair with David Hayes, a young computer specialist at the bank where she is an executive. Drained by the overwhelming demands of marriage to a high-profile cop, Liz fell into the temptation of an office fling, which she soon regretted. When Liz ended the relationship after reconciling with Lou, Hayes reacted by engaging in a daring embezzlement scheme that left millions missing. The money was never found.
Now, years later, David Hayes is released from prison, only to be cornered and pressured by people who will torture and kill to get the missing money. Hayes contacts Liz and tries to coerce her into helping him gain access to the bank's mainframe. But for Liz, the past is only that. Torn between wanting to protect herself, her marriage, and also the bank, she is manipulated into playing double-agent by a former colleague of Boldt's--without her husband's knowledge. Boldt, sworn to uphold the law, but with his wife caught in the middle, must skate a delicate line between duty-bound detective and jealous husband if he is to find the bank's money and keep his family from shattering. Then when Hayes goes missing, and no body is found, Boldt must combine ruse with violent action to sort out lie from fact.
