Best-selling author Jillian Lauren stumbles upon serial killer Sam Little while researching a new crime novel and quickly realizes that his decades-long murderous history may be linked to terrible systemic injustices. When she ends up face-to-face with the killer, he starts confessing to more crimes... throwing Jillian into the middle of the case.

Jillian’s uneasy firstmeetings with killer Sam Little evolve into a bizarre deal with the devil. Jillian learns that to get inside the mind of the killer she has to delve into her own traumatic past, and in the process uncovers how systemic sexism and racial bias enabled Little to prey on marginalized women for years.

Sam Little’s new confessions are matched with cold cases across the United States. Two female law enforcement agents describe how they caught the killer by focusing on survivors who were ignored in the past. Jillian uncovers details about Little’s troubled childhood, and the stress of dealing with the case spills into her home life.

Sam Little’s body count grows to 93 women, making him the most prolific serial killer in American history, but dozens of confessions remain unmatched. Jillian begins to investigate one particular case pertaining to a victim known only as “Alice.” Answers elude her until she finds a promising clue.

Dealing with a psychopath takes its toll on Jillian’s psyche and family. Jurisdictions in dozens of states close cases, laying bare the havoc Little wrought and triggering a long-overdue public reckoning. Jillian digs into Little’s “Alice” confession, discovering the scene of an unsolved murder that may be connected to the decades-old case.