A psychotic killer with access to the country's biggest data miner was using detailed information to work his way into the lives of victims. He would rape, rob, and kill them, and then blame unsuspecting innocents for the crimes. The perp had, in short, found a perfect means to literally get away with murder - until one of his victims turned out to be Lincoln Rhyme's cousin. Lincoln agrees to look into the case and in the process unravels a spider web of crime that the killer had woven.