Kate Reilly can't remember a worse time in her life, on track or off. She wrecks her race car at Road America in Wisconsin, sending a visiting NASCAR star to the hospital, and loses her cool on camera, only to end the day by discovering her boyfriend with a friend of hers—a now-dead friend.

With little time to grieve, Kate finds herself the pariah of the racing world and the target of vicious e-mail messages, death threats, and a frenzy of blame on racing sites and blogs, including that of an influential, anonymous blogger who's trying to get her fired. But nothing is as bad as knowing her friend's killer is still out there—and now aiming at her.

She's riding a roller coaster of emotion, juggling an exciting new sponsor, a boyfriend she's not sure she can trust, and newfound family she doesn't want to claim. Dodging unfavorable media attention and a pit reporter with a bias against women in racing, Kate redeems herself at the next race by delivering stunning performances behind the wheel at Petit Le Mans, the ten-hour endurance classic.

During the championship race weekend, undercurrents of threats from all sides rev Kate's nerves to their limits. From races to sponsor parties and awards banquet, she stays on top of the action—and a step ahead of the murderer—seeking motives, uncovering secrets, and pinpointing powerful ambitions. Ultimately she learns that no one can escape the past—but only a murderer is driven by it.