A body is discovered in a vacant lot in Chicago and the city's top homicide detective is assigned to investigate. In this psychological thriller, a devious killer personally challenges Lt. Barton. The killer meticulously organizes his thoughts with analytical precision around his elaborate plans and reviews every minute detail a thousand times in the solitary darkness of his residence...

The reddish-orange glow of a lighted cigarette emanated from the dark living room, a glow that brightened with each drag and alternately waned with each exhale. An ashtray overflowed with a dozen discarded butts while the smell of cigarette smoke permeated the living quarters of the high-rise condominium on Chicago's lakefront locally known as the Gold Coast. The lights were off not because of any power failure but by choice of the occupant. Tonight, as he did every night, he sat alone in the darkness. The only sound was that of a howling northerly wind lapping at the windows as it whipped around Chicago's skyscrapers that sent the city's wind chill spiraling downward into single digits...

In a tale of cold-blooded murder, Lt. Barton and his partner Sgt. Steve Crawford track a ruthless killer who attempts to stay several moves ahead of them and elude the police with his meticulous murder plans.