A serial killer is at work, and a task force of RCMP officers is on the case. Constables Nolan, Tain and Hart have joined the hunt -- Nolan working apart from his two colleagues, and Tain and Hart together as partners. But all three of them start to discover chilling connections between the recent slayings and a horrific case from two years ago -- the case that brought Ashley Hart onto the scene and changed all of their lives forever.

Still more disturbing is that one of the latest victims is the only woman who had escaped the previous killer. The idea that somehow a murderer went free, only to lie in wait and begin killing again, is devastating to the three officers. Or is this some sort of apprentice, finishing up the grisly work begun by the master? Nolan, Tain and Hart find themselves reliving the old case and old emotions as they pursue new leads, hoping for a clue or memory to solve the brutal murders.

This is a two-for-one mystery, interweaving the investigation of the current murders with the story of the original case. It's a fascinating look at the beginning of the often dysfunctional relationship among the three main characters, as well as a nail-biting race to stop a cold- blooded killer. Fans of the series will be rewarded with finally finding out the backstory that's been hinted at in the previous two books (THE FRAILTY OF FLESH and WHAT BURNS WITHIN). Newcomers will get a great introduction to these complex characters and the kind of creepy, twisty case that Sandra Ruttan writes so well.