A serial killer is loose in the small college town of Hamilton New Hampshire. Chief of Detectives Frank Fiamella has to find and stop the killer, and he enlists the help of John Stella, his old friend who is now a professor of psychology at Windham University in Hampton. But before they solve the murder, they must deal with their own problems. Frank is fighting a tyrant of a boss who wants him out of town and a wife who is becoming increasingly distant. John is fighting for his professional life against an academic colleague who wants him out of the university and wants to control the mind of John's son. Neither of them has the time to hunt down a sadistic murderer, but if they don't, Hamilton will see more of its citizens viciously murdered.~ This fast-moving mystery unfolds with many twists and turns.