Taken from dust jacket: "Florida is full of predators, from the animals who thrive in its humid heat to the humans who stalk the air-conditioned malls, and they all give Dr Kay Scarpetta, now Director of Academy, the opportunity and the means to do what she does best - persuading the dead to speak to her. In the icy chill of Boston, Benton Wesley is working on a secret project involving convicted killers, one of whom appears to confess to an even higher number of murders than the authorities had known about. It is a project that gives Scarpetta deep disquiet, as does the behaviour of her niece Lucy, who is spending too much time drinking and indulging in casual pick-ups in cheap bars." Signed by the author on the inside front page and is believed to be genuine. Dust jacket is unclipped and has a one inch closed tear on the back right hand side. Hardcover, block and internal pages are very clean with no marks, tears or annotations noted. Binding is tight