Two serial killers, one harem, and a detective's niece among the missing.
Who drives the story
A Black forensic psychologist and detective, 'Doctor Detective' to colleagues, devoted father of two. He hunts his niece's abductor across two coasts and must trust his own instincts over the FBI's to end it.
A young physician abducted into Casanova's harem who escapes with her martial-arts training. She joins the hunt for her captor and grows close to Cross.
A Durham detective who 'collects' beautiful, exceptional young women in an underground harem. He is the killer all along, and Kate and Cross bring him down.
A brutal Los Angeles killer who keeps body parts as trophies and murdered a couple on a lake in the early 80s. He partners with Casanova and dies in a gunfight with Cross.
The FBI agent on the case, supplying federal resources and information, and kept in the dark when Cross goes off-book.
Cross's niece, a Duke student whose disappearance pulls him into the case. She survives captivity and comes home.
Cross's partner, who helps crack the underground house and pays for it with serious injury.
How they are connected
Dr. Kate McTiernanCasanova / Nick Ruskin
A young physician abducted into Casanova's harem who escapes with her martial-arts training.
The Gentleman Caller / Dr. William RudolphCasanova / Nick Ruskin
He partners with Casanova and dies in a gunfight with Cross.
Go deeper
Predators who cooperate · The victim who fights back · Institutional blindness · Family as the engine
Themes explainedThe full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.
Open the summary