The Jinx

When everything's going right, it's a sure sign that things are about to go very, very wrong.

Rachel Benjamin's life might look glamorous but she has worked into the early morning on more nights, canceled more weekend plans and slept in more Holiday Inns in small industrial towns than she cares to count. (Standard practice in the business of mergers and acquisitions.) And that picture of her on the recent cover of Fortune? It inspired a reprise of her grandmother's favorite lecture, the one titled "You don't want to be one of those career gals, do you?" (Other popular hits include "Have you met anyone nice?" and "I just want to go to a wedding before I die.")

But this week Rachel's job is taking her to Boston, where in between work obligations she plans to squeeze in quality time with her promising new boyfriend. They've just hit the six-month mark and things are going so well, Rachel's not even worried anymore that she'll jinx it.

There are just a few little problems: Her friend's been attacked and a serial killer is on the loose -- and the two might actually be related. Oh, and her promising new boyfriend? He seems to be squeezing in quality time with his new gazelle-like, model-material colleague.... Now Rachel's making like Miss Marple again, trying to track down her friend's assailant -- not to mention get a clue about her relationship.

When she stopped worrying about jinxing things, did she jinx everything?