"Claudine Burroughs--who works with William Monk's wife Hester at the women's clinic--expects nothing but an unbearably boring several hours from a Christmas party she attends with her husband. However, when an endearingly romantic poet has his prostitute companion crash the glittering event--and the woman winds up dead--Claudine has more on her hands than she bargained for. Feeling sorry for the poet, she sets out to uncover the truth about what happened, in hopes of preventing his Christmas from being a dark one"-- Provided by publisher.