In this New Orleans–set mystery, the author of Cajun Nights "combines an insider's knowledge with a real flair for making the reader's skin crawl" (Booklist).

There's a killer stalking the New Orleans French Quarter. Each victim is found in the same gruesome condition: the body bloodied by a gardening fork, and the throat torn out by . . . what exactly?

That's the question on the minds of medical examiner Andy Broussard and his young partner, criminal psychologist Kit Franklyn. Broussard suspects the perpetrator isn't human at all, but a monster of terrifying legend. Only when their investigation draws them deep into Bayou country do Broussard and Franklyn discover just how monstrous some humans can be . . .

With this second sharp-witted mystery in the series featuring Broussard and Franklyn, "it's hard to beat [Donaldson's] combination of cool science and explosive passion in the heart of humid Louisiana" (The Commercial Appeal, Memphis).