Burned out Seattle Detective Kurt Latham is faced with the most compelling case of his prestigious career. Someone is raping, torturing, and mutilating young women in the small town of Hillcrest, Washington, and it's up to Kurt and his rookie partner, Amanda Kratzing, to solve the case. They're not alone in their endeavor, though. A former F.B.I. profiler and a criminology student are just as determined to see The Ringmaster stopped.

But how do you stop a killer who taunts you at every turn? How do you stop a killer who never makes a mistake? How do you stop a killer who loves his life's work? In short, how do you stop a killer who is smarter than you?

You're a pawn in his game of death, and checkmate is only a few moves away.