Detective William H. Ryan once again finds himself on the front lines to solve a serial murder case before it can become one of extreme high visibility that is a career ending front page blowout. This case involves the destruction of the killer's victim's mind, soul and life. It demands his giving of all, while also dealing with "Family" matters, with the return of little. His investigations intertwine and draw members of his family, organized crime, and the love of his life into the fray. The killer lives in a world of his own creation and reveilles in his total power over life and death. Detective William H. Ryan must use all of his skills and knowledge to meet his duties and well as protect his wife and his "Family." All this, while walking the line between both, fully knowing that the gray area where they meet seems to be growing. His skills, abilities, and multiple avenues of information gathering are stretched to their limits once again. The involvement, and the unknown inter-workings, of organized crime interwoven with the hard working Detective Division of a big city police force, offer some level of understanding of the complexities of finding the guilty. They all are striving to reach this one goal, with different conclusions in mind, and in their efforts offer some insight in the complex worlds that one must pass through to attain this goal. The investigation of all that confronts Detective Ryan takes one through many strange twists and turns and visits many dark places. Places that only excessive emotion can create, and/or cause to develop, places that are sometimes better left unvisited, investigated or disturbed. Benny moved back into the room with an electric knife in his right hand and a black marker in his left. He placed the knife on the small metal table that held the towels and sponge that he used to wash her. Moving over to the metal plate on the floor he reached down and slid it to one side. This, to clear the flow path of items p