Part of Kay Scarpetta, book 29
First published 2025
Dr. Kay Scarpetta receives a call on her birthday morning about another attack by the Phantom Slasher. For six months, this serial killer has terrorized Northern Virginia, cutting WiFi connections before murdering victims in their beds with bladed weapons. The killer drains their blood and vanishes without a trace. This latest strike at Mercy Island's abandoned psychiatric hospital yields something new: two victims, one still alive. Witnesses report seeing a black figure floating through fog near each crime scene. The apparition defies explanation, drawing attention from the CIA and White House. Scarpetta must decode the technical mystery behind these sightings while tracking a predator who strikes and disappears like a ghost. The killer leaves behind only bloodless corpses and severed internet connections. Time runs short as Scarpetta races to prevent the next attack.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, investigative-journalism
Setting: Northern Virginia, Mercy Island
Period: 21st-century
400 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: gore, violence