Alex Matthews is a clinical social worker who enjoys writing psychological mysteries but has no urge to live one. She lives with her husband and private-practice partner in "Oak Park, Illinois, the liveliest little village in America."

Matthews, who considers many female protagonists insufficiently female, set out to create an amateur sleuth possessing the strength and insecurities of Everywoman.

Like so many women, Cassidy McCabe struggles to succeed financially, has a history of chosing the wrong men, is terrified of dependency, and constantly fights to get her mother's voice out of her head. But through it all, she maintains her own slightly askew slant on life and manages never to take herself too seriously.