Memory in death / Nora Roberts writing as J.D. Robb.

Eve Dallas is one tough cop. But when Trudy Lombard - a seemingly ordinary middle-aged lady - shows up at the station, it's all Eve can do to hold it together. Instantly, she is plunged back to the days when she was a vulnerable, traumatized young girl - and trapped in foster care with the twisted woman who now sits smiling in front of her. Trudy claims she just wanted to see how Eve was doing. But Eve's husband, Roarke, suspects otherwise-and his suspicions prove correct when Trudy arrives at his office, demanding money in exchange for keeping the ugly details of his wife's childhood a secret. Barely restraining himself, Roarke shows her the door-and makes it clear that she'd be wise to get out of New York and never bother him or his wife again. But just a few days later, Trudy's found on the floor of her hotel room, a mess of bruises and blood. A cop to the core, Eve is determined to solve the case, if only for the sake of Trudy's bereaved son. Unfortunately, Eve is not the only one to have suffered at this woman's hands, and she and Roarke will follow a circuitous, dangerous path to find out who turned this victimizer into a victim.