Visions in death: On one of the city's hottest nights, New York Police Lieutenant Eve Dallas is sent to Central Park - and into a hellish new investigation. The victim is found on the rocks, just above the still, dark water of The Lake in Central Park. Around her neck is a single red ribbon. Her hands are posed, as if in prayer. But it is the eyes - removed with such precision, as if done by the careful hand of a surgeon - that have Dallas most alarmed. As more bodies turn up, each with the same defining scars, Eve is frantic for answers.

Survivor in death: No affairs, no criminal connections, no DNA and no clues. Eve Dallas may be the best cop in the city - but the Swisher case has her baffled. The only survivor is the daugther Nixie, who was in the kitchen when the murders happened.

Origin in death: A pioneer of modern reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, Dr. Wilfred B. Icove, is found dead in his office-murdered in a chillingly efficient manner: one swift stab to the heart. Struck by the immaculate condition of the crime scene, Dallas suspects a professional killing. Security disks show a stunningly beautiful woman calmly entering and leaving the building-the good doctor's final appointment. But who is the mystery woman-and what was her relationship with the good doctors?