Kneeling in the mud at the Oakmont Racetrack, Victor Quick waits for his death. His last thought is "Petey, I hope you nail this guy." Peter Quick is good at solving complicated problems. The metaphorical black spider in his brain spins strands whose nodes light up at salient, crucial points. Even Pete doesn't know how he interprets the messages, he simply does. Pete had helped his friend and brother-in-law, Homicide Captain John Pelton, solve other crimes: a child killing, several robberies. Pete, a technology genius, can't let a crime-solving problem go by without getting involved, despite being the tech genius for electronics firm PDQ (Pretty Damn Quick), managed by Victor.This time, he and his spider have more than the usual difficulties, including personal problems. The murderer is sly and ruthless. Other lives, including Pete's and his family's, are in jeopardy.