This book is dedicated to the walking wounded, in and out ofuniform, all around the town, and to those who came from faraway to help us. Though New York City is the prime character inmy novels, the event of 11 September 2001 does not appear inthese pages, not even in passing, no mention at all. There will bereaders who find that odd, for it changed the very landscape, butone does not have to draw a tragedy literally in order to draw fromit. Some New Yorkers still stop and raise their eyes to the sound ofoverhead planes, but then they move on down the sidewalk. Lifegoes on. It's a very tough town - unbreakable.

After bringing in a unanimous and very dubious acquittal in a murder case, only three of the original jurors remain alive. And someone, known only as the 'Reaper' because of the signature of a bloody scythe left at the crime scenes, is clearly determined to, make a clean sweep of the terrified survivors.

Detective Sgt. Riker, although on paid sick leave after a teenaged psychopath pumped four bullets into his chest, has a keen but unofficial interest in the case. And his NYPD Special Crimes partner, Kathy Mallory, orphan, sociopath and computer genius, is resolute that there will be no more personal defections in her life, and determined to discover the identity of the killer before he, or she makes a complete mockery of justice.