In the third Santero and Rein thriller, Carrie and Jacob must stop a lunatic who calls himself The Master, as he sends out letters to his potential victims.
Fifteen years ago, Herbert Presley Tanner abducted teenager Brenda Drake in order to commit a ritual purification of the flesh demanded by his fanatical beliefs. He doused her in gasoline and was about to light a match when detectives Jacob Rein and Bill Waylon intercepted him and brought him to justice.
Now Brenda Drake has been reported as a suicide. Arriving at the death scene, detective Carrie Santero finds a letter Brenda had received from someone who signed himself as "The Master." Bill Waylon, Carrie''s boss, calls on her help after receiving a letter threatening the lives of his two daughters. Again, the signature is "The Master."
Waylon recognizes the demented signature. Herbert Presley Tanner, he explains, was sentenced as a juvenile and committed to a mental health facility where he has been held indefinitely. Now, the state is trying to offload him. He has a hearing coming up. Bill needs Carrie to make sure Tanner isn''t released.
But when Tanner comes before the court, with the support of his parents and his prison doctor, the judge releases him. A woman who has been close to Rein is murdered, as is a female cousin whom Tanner had tortured as a teen. The threats intensify to include Carrie, Rein, and all who are dear to them. Carrie must delve into the deep secrets of Jacob Rein''s past - and into the dark abyss of a psychopath''s homicidal impulses - to stop "The Master" from destroying more lives.