The murder of a notorious public figure places Paradise, Massachusetts, police chief Jesse Stone in the harsh glare of the media spotlight. It's the body of controversial talk-show host Walton Weeks. And its discovery hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Paradise puts Chief Stone at the center of a highly public case, forcing him to deal with small-minded officials and national media scrutiny too. When another dead body, that of a young woman, is discovered just a few days later, the pressure becomes almost unbearable. Two victims in less than a week should provide a host of clues, but all Jesse runs into are dead ends. But what may be the most disturbing aspect of these murders is the fact that no one seems to care - not a single one of Weeks' ex-wives, not the family of the girl, no one seems interested in claiming the bodies. And when the medical examiner reveals a heartbreaking link between the two departed souls, the mystery only deepens.