First published 2026
Kay Scarpetta examines another body when the pattern becomes clear. Someone is killing people linked to her world. The Chief Medical Examiner calls her niece Lucy and detective Pete Marino as the deaths multiply. Each victim reveals another piece of a puzzle that points directly at Scarpetta herself. The forensic evidence tells a story she doesn't want to believe. The killer knows her methods, her history, her vulnerabilities. Scarpetta digs deeper into each crime scene while the murderer stays one step ahead. Lucy's tech skills and Marino's street instincts help, but the investigation forces Scarpetta to revisit choices she made years ago. The killer escalates the timeline. Scarpetta realizes she's not just hunting a murderer but confronting someone who understands her past better than she does. Every clue brings her closer to a truth that could destroy her career and endanger everyone she cares about. She must solve the case before the killer completes a plan that has been years in the making.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, unreliable-narrator
464 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: murder, violence