Deputy Chief Virginia West of the Charlotte, North Carolina police force isn`t pleased about riding with Andy Brazil, a pushy reporter who has a lead on a killer who`s been targeting visiting businessman. Dubbed the Black Widow, the murderer spray-paints the genitals of her victims orange as a bizarre calling card. Will West--a protagonist cut from the same tough cloth as Dr. Kay Scarpetta--find the Black Widow before Brazil drives her to commit murder by killing him?