"Mike Kovacs is an economics professor who's trying to get over a bitter divorce. He s barely on speaking terms with his only child. And he s just killed two bicyclists in an inebriated hit-and-run at a deserted Michigan beach. (In his defense, he hadn t meant to get that drunk. And what s the use of getting caught and going to jail if it means you can no longer make positive contributions to society? Sunk costs, and all.). Claire Boland s daughter is one of the victims. She s racked with guilt over what she might have done differently as a parent. Her marriage is buckling under the weight of the tragedy. And yet there s one person who seems to understand the magnitude of her grief--her neighbor, Mike Kovacs."--