The title of the debut novel by Amy Gutman '83, HLS '93 (and former Crimson Editor) is not a term that most people are familiar with. It is an expression used among homicide investigators to describe an "ambiguous" crime scene, and a puzzling murder is what the reader finds in this novel.

Kate Paine, a Harvard Law School graduate and ambitious employee at the high-powered office of Samson & Mills, is at the center of this legal-thriller. She is a first-year associate looking to pay her dues and eventually move up in the firm's hierarchy. Assigned to a new and controversial case, Kate is thrilled to be working with some of the senior partners, until the unexpected murder of one of Samson & Mills' female partners, Madeline Waters. While Kate is busy navigating firm politics, she gradually realizes that Madeline's murderer may in fact be among those at the firm, and that her own life may be in danger.

Gutman's novel is definitely worth reading, and is an excellent break from studying for midterms. The two facets of the plot--the mysterious murder and the description of firm life--are expertly woven together and make for a fast-paced and involving story that is difficult to put down. The references to Harvard life are interesting, well thought-out and believable, while Gutman's own experiences as an associate at the law firm Cravath add to the realism that she infuses into her book.