A journalist. A serial killer. An invitation to the dark side. The risks are beyond imagining in the heart-racing sequel to The Man Burned by Winter. Rooker Lindström is a reluctant consultant for the Minnesota PD. He can provide a window into evil. His horrifying past gives him the edge. When the body of a woman—missing for eight years—is pulled from the lake, evil comes knocking again. This time with a note meant just for Rooker: Won’t you come out and play? A request from the police. A dare from a killer. And now a plea from a distraught mother whose daughter has suddenly vanished too. If only Rooker could say no. Instead, partnered with Millie Langston, his friend turned private investigator, he’s compelled to find a connection between the missing and the dead. It’s drawing them into the dark web, conspiracy theories, and an unsolved mystery reaching back thirty years. The deeper into the investigation Rooker and Millie go, the more exposed they are to a dormant serial killer whose motives—and next moves—are unlike anything Rooker has ever encountered.

An investigative journalist on the edge. A serial killer testing his limits. What they have in common can freeze the blood. Still reeling from a personal tragedy, investigative journalist Rooker Lindstroem finds a grim hideaway from the world. It's the dilapidated cabin on Minnesota's Deer Lake bequeathed to him by his late father-one of the most notorious serial killers in the state. If the walls of this murder house could talk, they'd scream. Detective Tess Harlow needs something from Rooker only he can provide: a window into the mind of a murderer. A copycat is on the prowl, following in the footsteps of Rooker's father. After reluctantly agreeing to take on the role of consultant, Rooker makes a chilling discovery. Every victim-five and counting-is a depraved taunt meant only for him. Rooker is not just tracking a killer playing sick games. In this brutal Minnesota winter, Rooker is confronting his past. Maybe working with Tess is Rooker's last chance at redemption. But to outrun his father's legacy, he must follow a darker path still to come.