Slow Squeeze

Iris Thorne survived the purge following McKinney Alitzer's chain of scandals. The murders, money-laundering, and million-dollar embezzlement were front-page dirt -- and rumor has it that Iris knows where the bucks are buried. Now she's the firm's highest-paid and most senior investment counselor. But happiness is a rare commodity in Iris's private life -- she and her LAPD lover are approaching a dead end.

Enter, on purple three-inch heels, the hottest prospect in town. Barbie Stringfellow's a ripe, buxom, and very rich Atlanta widow ready to invest. She's brash, tacky, and smart; like Iris, she's a self-made woman. Despite the alarm bells ringing in her head, Iris heads for Sunset Boulevard and margaritas with Barbie and sexy office colleague Art Silva. As the evening heats up with tequila-fueled flirtations, the squeeze is on -- but it's anybody's guess who's zooming whom. Then Barbie's found dead in bed, with evidence that implicates Iris. But there are things the cops don't need to know, so Iris is taking this case solo. In a city that thrives on scandal, a murdered client takes its toll on even the most ironclad reputation....