Jazz Phillips is one of the top serial murder investigators in the nation. Yet, when he agrees to teach a seminar for the Ft. Worth police, he has no idea he will be thrown onto a trail of death leading from California to New Hampshire. At first, the murder of an Episcopal bishop looks like a simple homicide. Nor is there lack of motive. Controversy marked the bishop's career and the investigation quickly leads to the dark side of the man. Yet, within minutes at the crime scene Jazz knows the case is not simple. A very intelligent psychopath is at work. However, some of the evidence suggests accidental homicide and the chief of police is anxious to close the case. Jazz decides to pursue it on his own and turns up more than twenty murders by the same assassin. What is more chilling is discovering the killer has proteges.