"Kay Scarpetta's work as Virginia's Chief Medical Examiner has come to an end. Fearing that she is about to be fired by the governor, hounded in the media and in the courtroom, for what some claimed was her involvement in the murder of a deputy police chief, Scarpetta packs up her belongings and sets out for the warmth and solace of the Florida sun. Settling into a new life as a private forensic consultant, Scarpetta is soon deep into a case that has left colleagues in Louisiana profoundly disturbed. A woman is found dead in a seedy hotel, dressed to go out, keys in her hand. Her history of blackouts and her violent outbursts while under their spell, offer more questions than clues about the cause of her death. Then Scarpetta receives news that chills her to the core: from his cell on death row, Jean-Baptiste Chandonne - the vicious and unrepentant Wolfman, who pursued her to her very doorstep - demands to see her. Only to her will he tell the secrets he knows the authorities desire: the evidence that will bring a global investigation to a swift conclusion. Scarpetta, her niece Lucy, and her colleague Detective Pete Marino are left to wonder: after all the death and destruction, what sort of endgame could this violent psychopath have in mind?" - dust jacket.