First in a forensics thriller series that will “appeal to fans of Kathy Reichs’ Tempe Brennan and Patricia Cornwell’s . . . Kay Scarpetta” (Crime Fiction Lover).
It is a hot June night in Orange County when the body of a mutilated woman is found in a strawberry field in the upscale California community. It’s getting even hotter for single mother and FBI forensic pathologist, Catherine Powers. Called in by the Irvine Police Department and OC Sheriff, Cat has been solicited to help solve a string of murders committed by a particularly sadistic serial killer the newspapers have dubbed the Burning Man. Each new victim yields a grisly new clue, ushering Cat deeper into the mind of madman. That’s very dangerous territory. Because Cat isn’t only following him. He’s following her—hiding in plain sight to claim his ultimate prize.
The Burning Man is out to incinerate the bond between a mother and her child. Now as Cat descends into the darkness of a case more personal than she ever feared, she’ll do anything to catch a killer and keep those she loves alive.
