The first volume of the successful detective series on which the Will Trent series was based in 2023
The city of Decatur, Illinois, has fallen on hard times, the scene of a series of brutal murders. The dead girls and women have nothing in common at first glance, except for one thing - the killer has taken out the tongues of each of them. Is he collecting freak trophies? Or was he trying to get a message across?
Veteran police officer Michael Ormewood, known more for his arrogance and hot-headedness than his detective skills, is put in charge of the investigation. Young investigator Will Trent, who is called to the case, finds out about it and has not only a great track record, but also a rather dark past. Then, when John Shelley, a criminal convicted of a similar crime years earlier, appears on the scene, events take an unexpected turn...
