Chief Detective Joe Mackey investigates a homicide in the fashionable Highland Park district of St. Paul. The case has peculiar overtones. Mackey feels the murdered woman knew her killer. Ligature marks indicate a device other than a simple rope. His only suspect is a childhood friend of the woman who perplexes Mackey. Along the way, something happens. By the time he finally dismisses Jennifer O'Malley as a suspect, widower Mackey knows he's in trouble...He's fallen for her. With his professional code of ethics already compromised, Mackey continues to become more involved...And in the next few months, he'll be pushed to the limit. From St. Paul to Duluth, New York City and western Wisconsin, Mackey doggedly pursues a cold trail. His worst fear is realized when another body is found with the same strange marks on the subject's neck. His career is threatened and indeed, he is dismissed from the case. With tacit permission from the Chief of Police, he goes it alone. In a bizarre turn of events, the conclusion will leave the reader stunned as Mackey and Jennifer come face to face with the personification of evil...Can they survive?