A trip to the morgue in the middle of the night is routine work for Detective Sergeant Caroline Osych of the Chicago Police Department. The problem is that lately, every murder victim heading for the morgue is a young man named Michael who drives a Japanese import. The killer’s MO is troublesome too—five pounds of flesh vaporized from victims’ chests and a fluorescent map tattoo on their faces are not everyday occurrences.

Caroline must deal not only with the string of bizarre murders but a vengeful ex-husband, his alcoholic heiress child bride, a manipulative and sleazy FBI inspector and an enigmatic soldier with sexy blue eyes. The stark realization that the killer is not her contemporary is not nearly as terrifying as the seeping suspicion that the final and ultimate target may be her children, living with their father and his new wife.