From the moment he sees the young woman’s body in her hotel bathtub, homicide detective Jack Murphy knows he’s looking at a truly demented but brilliantly designed puzzle. She’s been drained of blood. Missing her left hand-and the killer left a special message just for him. Hours later, he sees her severed hand arranged on a second victim’s body. The newspaper has the gruesome details. The FBI has a theory. But only Murphy knows how hard he’ll have to push-and how much he’ll have to risk-to thwart the killer’s twisted game.

The first victim is attacked in her home. Tied to her bed. Forced to watch every unspeakable act of cruelty-but unable to scream. The second murder is even more twisted. Signed, sealed, and delivered with a message for the police, stuffed in the victim’s throat. A fractured nursery rhyme that ends with a warning: “There will be more.” For detective Jack Murphy, it’s more than a threat. It’s a personal invitation to play. And no one plays rougher than Jack. Especially when the killer’s pawns are the people he loves.