Chief medical examiner Kay Scarpetta is the reluctant star witness in a sensational murder trial when she receives shocking news. The judge?s sister has been found dead. At first glance, it appears to be a home invasion, but then why was nothing stolen, and why is the garden strewn with dead plants and insects? Although there is no apparent cause of death, Scarpetta recognises telltale signs of the unthinkable, and she knows the worst is yet to come....

Kay Scarpetta has been training at the Dover Port Mortuary, mastering the art of 'virtual autopsy' - a procedure that could soon revolutionise forensic science. And it is not too long before these skills need to be put into practice. A young man drops dead, apparently from a heart condition, eerily close to Scarpetta's home.