Detective Patrick Quentin of Chicago Police Homicide has a lot on his plate.
Since the death of their parents, Patrick has taken responsibility for the care of his mentally disabled twin brother, Daniel.
He wants to settle down with his girlfriend Maryrose, but frets about juggling his loyalty both to her and to his brother.
But when Patrick receives an anonymous tip-off, little does he realise that his life is about to take a turn for the worse.
The trail leads Patrick to the discovery of a string of shocking murders at the nearby St. Aloysius hospital.
A male nurse has been killing vulnerable patients with sedatives and making the deaths look like an accident.
Before long comes the horrific realisation that the latest deaths are merely the tip of the iceberg.
For Detective Quentin though, what’s worse is that the main culprit for the crimes, one John Samael, has slipped through his fingers and jumped town.
There is a serial killer on the loose, and the police are powerless to stop him.
Before long, Samael has acquired national notoriety and been awarded the nickname “the Angel of Death” for his seemingly motiveless malignity.
Meanwhile, Patrick has married Maryrose and started a family of his own.
Daniel, too, has found love, and is tentatively starting to follow his own path in life.
But just as Patrick should be settling down to his new life of domestic bliss, the Samael case continues to hang over him like a dark cloud.
With Samael consistently evading the nets thrown out by the police and the FBI, the mysterious murderer and the zealous detective become pitted against one another in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
As time drags on, the case becomes personal, and Patrick’s happiness and sanity become bound to catching the killer.
But as the Samael saga begins to reach its terrifying conclusion, Patrick realises that now more than ever he must protect the public, his reputation, and - above all else - his family.
Praise for Thomas Laird
‘Although Anglin’s supposed connection with the Kennedy assassination becomes clear early on, Laird keeps the suspense churning as leads fall apart.’ – Publishers Weekly
‘More tightly knit than his even more grisly debut.’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘It’s always good to get in at the start of something major. And I think that Lieutenant Jimmy Parisi… could be very major indeed. The publishers have come up with a winner here’ - Mark Timlin, Independent
Thomas Laird has several short stories published in US literary magazines and a collection of short fiction called Blue Collar and Other Stories , also published in the US. He teaches creative writing, literature and composition in central Illinois. He is also the author of Healer Season of the Assassin and Cutter which are part of his Jimmy Parisi series.
