FBI Special Agent Ilse Beck, victim of a traumatic childhood in Germany, moved to the U.S. to become a renowned psychologist specializing in PTSD, and the world’s leading expert in the unique trauma of serial-killer survivors. By studying the psychology of their survivors, Ilse has a unique and unparalleled expertise in the true psychology of serial killers. Ilse never expected, though, to become an FBI agent herself. Ilse, plagued by her own past, realizes the time has come to face her demons and revisit the site of her childhood home in Germany. But will the trip help her expunge her own dark memories—or push her over the edge? But in a frantic race against time, the FBI needs her to decode the Alphabet Killer. Is there a method to his madness, a way to stop the next victim before it’s too late? Or is this killer far more cunning and deranged than anyone could imagine?