A taut thriller about two rural Minnesota towns locked in a deadly feud--and a teenage girl caught in the crossfire Linked by the Spirit River, the two towns couldn't be more different: in affluent Barron, a powerful and secretive scientific research corporation enriches its residents, while downriver in blue-collar St. Croix, victims of that company's carcinogenic waste struggle to survive. The bad blood between the communities escalates into open warfare when the beautiful Ashlynn, daughter of the corporation's president, is found shot dead--and a St. Croix girl, Olivia Hawk, is accused of the crime. Reluctantly, Olivia's mother summons her estranged husband Christopher, a Minneapolis lawyer, to come defend his daughter. As Christopher struggles to unravel the mystery of Ashlynn's murder and save his own daughter, he uncovers some ugly truths that endanger the residents of both towns. And looming over everything are the chilling, apocalyptic threats from a murderous psychopath known only as Aquarius. Winner - Best Hardcover Novel - Thriller Awards "Freeman proves once again he's a master of psychological suspense." - Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author "Suspense doesn't get more excruciating than this....Don't miss it." - Booklist (Starred Review) "Shockingly terrifying...enough to guarantee fevered page-turning after lights-out." - London Daily Mail "Freeman's most intricate and compelling psychological suspense" - Saint Paul Pioneer Press "Harrowing...Freeman ratchets up the suspense steadily, and then provides a cataclysmic ending." -Publishers Weekly Brian Freeman is a New York Times bestselling author of psychological suspense novels including Spilled Blood , winner of the ITW Thriller Award for best novel. Joe Barrett , an actor and Audie Award and Earphones Award-winning narrator, has appeared both on and off Broadway as well as in hundreds of radio and television commercials. Audiobook on CD