First published 1984
Detective Stuart Haydon stares at another crime scene. Another beautiful call girl lies dead in Houston, victim of a killer who seems to choose his targets with deliberate precision. The murders follow a pattern that leads Haydon deeper into the city's underground world of high-end prostitution. Each victim was stunning, each death calculated. The investigation pulls Haydon toward the Texas Medical Center, where the city's medical elite work alongside cutting-edge research. Someone in this world of healing has turned to killing. Haydon must navigate the complex hierarchy of doctors, researchers, and administrators while the body count rises. The killer grows bolder with each murder, and Haydon realizes he's racing against time before the next beautiful woman dies. The case forces him to confront the dark intersection between medicine and murder in a city where both save and destroy lives.
Genres: medical, mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: detective-story, medical-drama, serial-killer
Setting: Houston, Texas Medical Center
304 pages · Hardcover · Arlington
Content warnings: murder, violence