Settling into her new life as a private forensic consultant, Kay Scarpetta agrees to investigate a cold case in Louisiana--the baffling eight-year-old murder of a woman with a history of blackouts and violent outbursts. Then she receives news that chills her to the core: Jean-Baptiste Chandonne--the vicious and unrepentant Wolfman who pursued her to her very doorstep--has asked to see her. From his cell on death row, he demands an audience with the legendary Dr. Scarpetta. With her friends and family by her side, Scarpetta tries to guess what sort of endgame this madman has in mind--how, if at all, it's related to the Louisiana case--and then confronts the shock of her life: a blow that will force her to question the loyalty and trust of all she holds dear...