New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts serves up a sizzling novel of explosive suspense and sensual romance as the search for a murderer ignites passion between a beautiful psychiatrist and the sexy, brooding detective determined to crack the case.

In the unbearable heat of another sultry Washington, D.C., summer, a serial killer is on the loose. Dr. Tess Court, one of the capital's most successful psychiatrists, wants nothing to do with the case--until the police convince her to lend a hand to the lead investigator, legendary ladies' man Detective Ben Paris.

Scarred by his family's history, Ben has even less use for shrinks than Tess has for him--but the forces of animal magnetism and a shared desire to catch the demented criminal known as "The Priest" inexorably erode the walls they've built. They're opposites in so many ways, yet that seems only to fan the flames of attraction for which danger has supplied the spark. To stop a killer who thinks he can absolve sins through murder, Ben will need every ounce of psychological insight Tess can offer him. And she'll need the help of a lawman willing to stare fear in the face if she's going to avoid becoming the madman's next victim.