The master forensic sleuth finds herself in the middle of a nightmarish pursuit of a serial sniper who seems to leave no evidence except fragments of copper. The shots are so perfect, they cause instant death and seem impossible. First New Jersey, then Massachusetts, and then into the murky depths off the coast of South Florida. There she must face an unthinkable truth that points in the direction of her techno genius niece, Lucy, Scarpetta's own flesh and blood.