In this third mystery in the Quillen trilogy by J. E. Gentry, San Francisco PD detective Travis solicits the opinion of his friend Clara Quillen because she is a movie buff and might have some insight into a murder in a historic movie theater during a classic film. At the time, neither of them has any idea that it was only the first such murder, but it soon becomes clear that San Francisco is confronted with a serial killer. Attempting to enter the mind of the diabolical murderer, Quillen and Travis aim all their forces toward stopping the killing, which escalates on the road to mass murder. Meanwhile, she makes major decisions about her personal life, and finally everything comes together after she comes face to face with the most fiendish person she has ever encountered. The fiction of this story is uncomfortably close to the facts of what is happening virtually every day in America.