Survivor of a brutal stabbing and sexual assault, Shailene Campbell led a constrained life of quiet preparedness until she discovered the significance of her flashbacks.  More than a psychological scar, the pain of the stabbing she endured at age fifteen is triggered by the proximity of predators like the one who attacked her.  This ability to see homicidal psychopaths for what they are uniquely qualifies Shailene to find and stop them, but shouldering this responsibility means breaking the promise to herself to lay low and stay safe.

Now, just out of the Army, Shailene is trying to rebuild her life.  She has a job as a computer geek, a small and secure apartment in a quiet neighborhood, and even a new friendship—possibly more—with a gentle architect named Mike.  Things are going well, until the bodies of four young boys are discovered in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens. 

Keeping her boss and Mike in the dark, Shailene takes emergency vacation and goes to Trenton, hoping she can find the killer before another boy ends up in a shallow grave.  There is always risk when she goes out on a mission, but she cannot anticipate the personal toll this one will exact.