A few weeks have passed since Sheriff Thomas Shepherd rescued Deputy Aguilar from a deranged serial killer. He's burned out and exhausted, struggling to hold the Nightshade County Sheriff's Department together. Then a series of bizarre deaths shock the community. They appear accidental, but closer inspection reveals that a common thread connects the victims. Eleven years ago, they were high school friends, popular bullies who ruled over their classmates. Is a tormented classmate hungry for vengeance? After the killer murders a television news reporter, Thomas relies on his deputies and private investigator friends to track a bloodthirsty killer. Can he solve the case before the elusive killer claims another victim? Or is Thomas next on the killer's list?