#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A cold case turns red-hot when a death-row inmate renews his acquaintance with Dr. Kay Scarpetta in this "utterly chilling [and] grisly, fast-paced thriller" (Entertainment Weekly).

"Engaging and horrifying . . . a book that fans will want to read for the sheer voyeuristic quality of watching the characters they know so well go beyond their limits."--Houston Chronicle

IN DEVELOPMENT AS THE ORIGINAL SERIES SCARPETTA STARRING NICOLE KIDMAN AND JAMIE LEE CURTIS

Dr. Kay Scarpetta is settling into her new life as a private forensic consultant and is 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: 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 friends and family by her side, Scarpetta tries to guess what sort of endgame this madman has in mind and how, if at all, it's related to the Louisiana case. She begins to unravel a twisting, international conspiracy 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.