Deputy state police chief Kevin Kerney is weeks away from turning in
his badge for a rancher's hat, when six murders are committed late one
night at remote campgrounds in south central New Mexico. Most of the
evidence points to the work of a spree killer, but peculiarities at one
crime scene suggest another grisly possibility, that five random people
have been shot to death to cover the premeditated murder of the sixth
victim, Vernon Langsford, a retired judge and wealthy businessman.
Ruling out neither scenario, Kerney uses all the available resources of
the New Mexico State Police to mount a high-profile search for the
possible spree killer and conduct a deep probe into the life of Vernon
Langsford. Under pressure to make an arrest, Kerney pieces together a
shocking history of family betrayal, is harassed by a stalker with an
unknown agenda, forced into a gunfight with a crooked cop that may
taint his entire career, and shaken by new doubts about his plan to
give up police work. Most troubling of all, he is reacquainted with a
proud Apache woman from his past, who discloses a secret of her own
which could easily disrupt his recent marriage to a wife he rarely
sees, career army officer Sara Brannon. Challenged by the most
sensational case of his career, Kerney must use all his skill to track
down and bring to justice a brilliant and ruthless killer.