After two years in the Seattle Police Department, Detective Alice Madison has finally found the kind of personal and professional peace she has never known before.

When a local burglary escalates into a horrific murder, Madison is put in charge of the investigation. She finds herself tracking a killer who may have haunted the city for years - and whose brutality is the stuff of myth in high security prisons.

As she delves deeper into the case, Madison learns that the widow of one of the victims is being stalked - is the killer poised to strike again? But then her own past comes under scrutiny from enemies close to home, and Madison's position on the force - and the fate of the case itself - are suddenly thrown in jeopardy.