Returning to St Louis after a tough case in New Mexico, work is the last thing that Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, wants to think about. The woman the vampires call the Executioner is still no closer to choosing between her two lovers and after months of celibacy, she craves them like never before. But when a wereleopard is abducted from a seedy club, Anita is plunged once more into the dark world of shapeshifter crime and werecreature power struggles. A sinister force seems to be targeting the lycanthropes and Anita may be their only hope - but only if she can survive herself.