In the still shadows of the confessional, the penitent kneels and makes a bone-chilling disclosure: Bless me father, for I will sin.... Slowly, tauntingly, the man describes his murderous past -- how he stalked his victim, worked his way into her life, and then took that life in a violent rage -- and his plan to kill again. Only this time, he has raised the stakes in his twisted game, daring authorities to catch him if they can. This time, he has revealed the name of his next intended victim. I'm a heartbreaker. And I do so love a challenge....

Agent Nick Buchanan has come face-to-face with society's worst monsters and depraved minds in his work for one of the FBI's most elite units. He's about to take a much needed vacation from his high-stress job when he's called on to stop the killer who has mockingly confessed to the deadly crime he's to commit. Nick can't refuse --for this time the threat has hit close to home. The intended victim is his best friend's sister. Soon he is caught up in an intricate chase with one of the most devious psychopaths of his career -- in a case that suddenly, unexpectedly, pulls him in like no other.

Laurant Madden found a home and a sense of security when she moved into the small Iowa town of Holy Oaks -- but her contented life is shaken to the core as a cagey predator closes in on her. Her brother, Tom, insists that she turn to the only man he trusts to help her: Nick Buchanan. As an electrifying attraction grows between Laurant and Nick, so does the danger -- and one false move will cost both of them everything that matters.