During a freezing Christmas Eve in Washington, D.C., a woman’s naked body is found frozen to a fountain wall. Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia, is called in and quickly realizes that the killer is Temple Brooks Gault — a brilliant, sadistic murderer she’s been hunting for years.
As Scarpetta works with FBI profiler Benton Wesley, Detective Pete Marino, and her tech-genius niece Lucy, Gault begins taunting them with cryptic clues and symbolic murders. His killings grow increasingly personal, suggesting he’s targeting Scarpetta herself.
The chase leads from forensic labs and computer databases to the dark tunnels beneath New York City, where Scarpetta finally confronts Gault in a deadly showdown. He falls to his death — ending the pursuit but leaving Scarpetta emotionally drained and haunted by the psychological toll of her work.
By Patricia Cornwell