With the collapse of her Hollywood career, Lorie Hammonds has returned to her Alabama home town to rebuild her life. But a series of anonymous death threats warn Lorie to get her affairs in order because she's on the list. They warn the former actress to, "Be prepared. You don't know when it will be your turn. Will you be the next to die?"

Dubbed the Midnight Killer, a psychopath is methodically working his way through the cast of a porn film called Midnight Masquerade. Since, in his opinion, his victims, male and female, were "creatures not content with reveling in their sins privately, but were evildoers who excited and tempted, who coerced and lured, flaunting their sins for the world to see", the serial killer believes it is his role to seek retribution.

Former high school boyfriend, Sheriff Mike Birkett, becomes Lorie's principal protector and the couple are again drawn to each other . Aware of her sordid past and recently widowed, Mike doesn't want to renew their relationship, for he doesn't believe Lorie would be an acceptable stepmother for his two children.

When the two are thrown together by Lorie's present predicament, Mike can't deny his feelings, any more than he can ignore that fact that the killer stalking his former sweetheart is coming closer and closer.

With over fifty novels to her credit and an expanding collection of writing awards, Beverly Barton hasn't lost "the touch". As this debut novel in a new series amply illustrates, the Alabaman author still knows how create spine-chilling suspense yarns that keep her readers riveted to the page from start to finish.