Forensic anthropologist Bill Brockton has spent twenty-five years solving brutal murders7but none so bizarre and merciless as his latest case: A ravaged set of skeletal remains is found chained to a tree on a remote mountainside. As Brockton and his assistant Miranda dig deeper, they uncover warning signs of a deadly eruption of hatred and violence. But the shocking case is only the beginning of Brockton2s trials. Mid-case, the unthinkable happens: The deadliest criminal Brockton has ever foiled, he sadistic serial killer Nick Satterfield, escapes from prison, bent on vengeance.