Joe Hunter is an ex CIA operative responding to a call for help from a sister-in-law.  It seems that Joe’s half brother, John, has gotten himself into a bit of trouble and is running from the mob.  He has abandoned his wife and children.  Now it’s up to Joe to try to save his sibling from his headlong, self-destructive flight. The problem is that the brothers never got along and Joe has no reason to believe that the condition will change.

Along the way, Tubal Cain, a diabolical serial killer, slithers onto the scene.  Cain’s greatest ambition is to become the most prolific serial killer of all time.  His weapon of choice is the blade and he carries an assortment so that he always has the right tool for the job. And Tubal likes to collect souvenirs from his victims as well; body parts.

John, the wayward brother, is headed west when his car breaks down on a desert road. It’s here that he encounters Tubal Cain.  Cain decides to offer assistance to the stranded motorist and possibly murder him, but John has plans of his own.  He gets the drop on Cain and decides to hijack his car.  Cain pleads that he has a prized possession wrapped up in a roll in his car and asks that John at least leave him with his personal treasure.  John agrees and throws the roll to Cain before speeding off with his car.  When Cain unrolls his package and inventories the contents, he sees that all but one of his precious knives are there.  The missing one is his favorite, a Bowie knife. Cain vows to retrieve it at any cost. The hunt begins.

John now has new problems because the car that he liberated from Cain actually belongs to the serial killer’s most recent victim and soon John is identified as the driver and the police are now hunting him as a murder suspect. Imagine the dilemma, he’s being pursued by the mob, a deranged murderer, the police, and his brother.

Joe Hunter is watching this all unfold in front of him as he accelerates the chase and begins to close the gap.  He is smart enough to piece together the events and get a reasonable picture of what is happening and it’s a grim scene indeed.

Author Matt Hilton is obviously a guy who loves action because it never slows down in this story. There is a bit of gore and an inordinate number of coincidences.  The killer is chilling and clearly the strongest character in the book.  It’s well done and full of energy.