pElemental rage, bloody Greek myth, man's greed and capacity for cruelty, the insane imaginings of a killer, all intermingle in this stunning new thriller from the bestselling author of Messiah to create a novel of stunning ferocity.p pA storm-tossed crossing on the North Sea a catastrophic ferry accident hundreds dead. Detective Chief Inspector Kate Beauchamp is one of the survivors but her ferocious fight to stay alive brings with it a high cost a burden of guilt that she should live while some of her friends died a terror of water a frozen inner core that never seems to melt.brWhen the body of a young female journalist is found in Aberdeen soon after the disaster, Kate insists on conducting the investigation - partly to exorcize her own demons, partly because she feels a strange affinity with the victim. The killing is peculiarly brutal and the murderer has left a unique calling card attached to the woman's neck is a poisonous snake.brInto this emotional cauldron steps the last man