From the book jacket: "Alison and Luis Mendoza were vacationing in Bermuda when the cable came. Sgt. Hackett, it said, had been seriously injured in the course of duty and his chances of recovery were slim.Twelve hours later, Luis was at his desk faced with two of the worst cases to beset Los Angeles in years: one, a puzzling, almost clueless "private kill"; two, a madman who had chalked up four murders in ten days-and that was just the beginning...."