The psychological thriller that marked the debut of one of
contemporary suspense fiction's most compelling heroes: "A gripping
first novel...taut and fast-moving" (Washington Post).
Renowned psychologist Joseph O'Loughlin has it all -- a thriving
practice, a devoted, beautiful, fiercely intelligent wife, and a lovely
young daughter. But when he's diagnosed with Parkinson's, O'Loughlin
begins to dread the way his exceptional mind has been shackled to a
failing body, and the cracks in his perfect existence start to show.
At first, O'Loughlin is delighted to be called in to a high-profile
murder investigation, hoping his extraordinary abilities at perception
will help bring a killer to justice. But when O'Loughlin recognizes the
victim as one of his former patients, an emotionally disturbed young
woman who nearly brought ruin upon him, O'Loughlin hesitates -- a
fateful decision that soon places O'Loughlin at the top of the lists of
both a bullish detective and a diabolical killer.