What is the price of a secret? Would you kill to protect it? What happens when it won't stay buried? Malice Able, a forensic scientist with a special department of the government, is at personal and professional crossroads. His work demands secrecy that has kept him from relationships of any kind -- a decision that demand reconciliation. But he has discovered a secret kept even from him. Experiments conducted on abandoned children had two unexpected results. It healed birth defects, and turned them into serial killers. One has come of age and is cutting off hands and feet, nailing them to a cross. The family Able protected with his own lies is in the killer's path. The Scent of Gardenia begins as a tale of murder, secrets and lies. It evolves as a story of belonging, sacrifice and love. Throughout, it is a search for Truth.