She studies the dead. He creates them.And fate is dragging them toward each other.When a missing college student's body is discovered in a ravine outside Masonboro, Medical Examiner Dr. Lucy Parker knows the scene doesn't fit the quiet town she calls home. The killer not only murdered the girl but also hunted her and arranged her body meticulously, as if the killer wanted someone to find her.Someone like Lucy.Meanwhile, he is losing his battle with the voice of his dead mother-a violent phantom who twists his memories, guides his hands, and feeds the hunger he can no longer ignore. Each kill quiets her... but only for a moment. With his father gone, the last barrier between him and the darkness has crumbled.As Lucy uncovers patterns, the town refuses to see, her investigation closes in on a predator unraveling under the weight of inherited madness. And he is watching her, drawn to her, convinced she's the key to controlling the nightmare devouring him from the inside out.In Masonboro, the truth is buried deep--- and the dead are only the beginning.