Dutton, New York, 1996, 1^st/1^st.  ISBN 0-525-94230-0.  Hard cover, 309 pages.  Very good; black boards with gold lettering on spine; binding sound with headbands, very light edge wear.  Dust jacket with price intact shows a bit of wear at spine ends and upper front corner fold; light rubs and scratches.  Interior clean and unmarked; some foxing/age spotting on outer page block.  ‘Kate Verdi is working for the U.S. State Department as a death officer, assigned to deal with the deaths of Americans abroad. …  The paperwork ends suddenly when master diplomat Kendall Holmes steps into Kate’s office and relieves her of two complicated cases – and promotes her into the Circle, a select group of the department’s best and brightest. … Despite her new job, Kate can’t abandon her suspicions about two deaths she left behind … Kate’s questions lead to vague answers and bureaucratic runarounds, and she begins to suspect an elegant cover-up has taken place.’ (from front flap)