Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can't seem to let go of being "the coroner's daughter" from Freeport.

Once again, she finds herself pulled back to her hometown when Jeremiah--the eleven-year-old son of her best friend, Jo--goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan.

To everyone's relief, Jeremiah turns up days later, alive and unharmed. But tensions remain high, and suspicions of every sort continue to grow. Jeremiah's account of his abduction doesn't add up, and Emily worries about Jo's unraveling marriage. Jeremiah's recovery, it turns out, is not the end of their terrifying tale. It's just the beginning ...

For moving among them is a devious, malevolent force. Sowing panic while seeking to fulfill his own twisted needs, this wolf in sheep's clothing leaves a trail of rack and ruin, heedless of the damage in his wake ... and the bodies he leaves behind.

Emily solidifies her role as the coroner's daughter when she puzzles out this madman's chilling machinations. Risking everything dear to her, Emily is determined to go the icy distance and end his killing spree.