Synopses & Reviews
Vice squad detective Bobby Vasquez receives an anonymous tip that directs him to a mountain cabin where he opens a Pandora's box of horror that will haunt him to his dying day. Within hours, Vincent Cardoni -- a brilliant surgeon with a history of violence and drug abuse -- is arrested for a heinous crime. Facing a seemingly insurmountable wall of evidence, he turns to top criminal defense attorney Frank Jaffe -- who, along with his ambitious daughter Amanda, must put on an inspired defense.
Amanda's first taste of criminal defense work raises moral questions she's loath to address. Is she defending an innocent man? Or is she using her considerable skills to set a monster free? Then Cardoni disappears under bizarre circumstances. Four years later, a second set of murders begins ... Has Cardoni resurfaced? Is this a copy-cat killer? Or has the real killer been someone else all along?
Following a twisting trail of clues, including a harrowing diary that clinically records the killer's horrible deeds, Amanda and Bobby join the hunt -- and become targets themselves of the twenty-first century's first genuinely monstrous psychopath.
Performed by Margaret Whitton
About the Author
Phillip Margolin has written seventeen
New York Times bestsellers, including his latest,
Sleight of Hand, and the Washington Trilogy. Each displays a unique, compelling insiders view of criminal behavior, which comes from his long background as a criminal defense attorney who has handled thirty murder cases. Winner of the Distinguished Northwest Writer Award, he lives in Portland, Oregon.
Margaret Whitton's performing career includes extensive work on and off Broadway, numerous television appearances, and roles in such films as Major League, The Man Without a Face, and Ironweed.