Michael Shiftmann was a writer of no repute when he walked into Taylor Robinson's office. He had written five
books which had received good reviews, but had never sold worth a damn.
Now he's come to her with the first of what proves to be a block-buster series of books. The first one,
The First Letter, is about a serial killer. The killer is the central figure - and he's charming and
cold-blooded. The public loves him, and they love Michael.
Within just a few years, Taylor has made both herself and Michael rich selling his books for greater and
greater fees. Finally she makes the deal that literally makes them both millionaires.
At the same time, the police and the FBI are quietly working on a case of serial murders involving young
women. The crime scenes are bloody. The victims all died horribly after going through torture, slowly bleeding
to death, and being raped by their murderer.
Hank Powell, a twenty-year veteran of the FBI, has made this case the center of his life. When a double murder
occurs in Nashville, he is on the scene as quickly as possible. And, here, finally, there seems to be some break
in the case.
In the meantime, Taylor is romanced and soon swept off her feet by Michael. They become engaged and he moves
into her New York apartment. It seems that everything is finally perfect in her world.
Only things are about to start colliding, when a young reporter gets a bead on the "Alphabet Man" and an older
woman, who reads mysteries in her copious free time, break open the case in ways that no one could have foreseen.
The book goes through the trial of Michael Schiftmann, and ultimately to his death.
The early part of the book is very interesting. The trial is a little dull, and serves mostly to frustrate the
reader who has, by that time, put together the fact that horrible things are going to continue to happen.
And they do. Ultimately Taylor puts all her demons into a grave - quite literally. Thus the book has a
satisfying conclusion, though it meanders a bit, towards the end, in getting there.