Aristotle quoted: with genius there comes a degree of madness, but in the case of Aaron Yarn this quote is turned on its head. The dominant driving force in Yarn is insanity. Yarn is a misanthrope: a hater of human kind and he fixates much of his hate on one man: Spencer Corwin, a police officer who has accidentally ran Yarn down in his patrol car leaving him crippled for months. Aaron Yarn is a Satanist who believes he is the collector of souls he believes that every death attributed to him will please his master who will grant him the ultimate prize. Aaron Yarn's degree of genius, however, comes in the form of educational achievement namely the mysteries of biological chemistry and it is with this knowledge he believes he can multiply his quota of souls, win his masters adoration and the gift of everlasting life.