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Violence casts a long shadow over every major city, and Philadelphia is no exception. Its citizens count on the Major Crimes Squad to protect them from the worst of humanity. For over two decades, Captain Martin Wallace has led that charge with unwavering determination, a keen mind, and old-school instincts. He's built his career on solving the cases others couldn't. He thought he'd seen it all. He was wrong.
When Martin's phone rings at 5:13 a.m. on a cold, rain-slicked autumn morning, experience tells him: no good news comes at this hour. Summoned to a crime scene, Martin wonders why the call came to his Magor Crimes Squad instead of Homicide. The answer awaits at a desolate corner of the city, where his trusted team member, Otis Gainwell, meets him with a grim warning:
"Prepare yourself, Captain. I doubt you've ever seen anything like this."
Martin, hardened by years of confronting brutality, believes that he is prepared for anything. But nothing could have prepared him for the carnage before him - a murder so savage, so bizarre, that it defies logic. The crime is not only shocking in its violence; it appears utterly senseless.
Soon, the city is gripped by fear as a string of similar murders unfolds. The press fans the flames with lurid headlines, while the mayor and police brass demand answers Martin doesn't have. Under mounting pressure, and with no DNA, no forensic evidence, and no clear suspects, the investigation stalls. Against his better judgment, Martin is forced to accept help from the FBI - a political necessity he resents, but one he navigates with his characteristic savvy.
As the investigation deepens, chilling discoveries emerge, and the case begins to circle uncomfortably close to City Hall. The lines between ally and enemy blur, and Martin's old feud with the mayor - fueled by past scandals and moral failings - resurfaces with renewed force. But Martin refuses to back down.
Guided by his unorthodox methods and lifelong passion for the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Martin follows threads others might miss. In the shadows of a city on edge, he hunts a killer who thrives on chaos, and risks everything - including his own sense of self - to bring a senseless nightmare to an end.
