He calls himself the Beijing Ripper and his victims are young, beautiful and viciously mutilated.

Li Yan, the head of Beijing’s serious crime squad, has been put in the spotlight. His bosses, the media and the terror-stricken public are demanding a fast result. American pathologist Margaret Campbell is invited to perform an autopsy on one of the victims and her results send shockwaves through the investigation.

Then Li begins receiving personal letters from the killer, and his life and career start falling apart. The need to uncover the Ripper’s identity becomes paramount if he is to save himself and his family from ruin.

In this, Peter May’s sixth China thriller, Li Yan and Margaret Campbell are pitted against vicious psychopath who could prove to be their deadliest enemy yet.