Gabriel isn’t murdering anyone―he’s saving them. The media has dubbed him the Seraphim Killer. He believes the gods have charged him to release the chosen, those for whom life has become an unbearable torment. Gabriel feels their suffering—his hands burn, his skull thunders, his stomach clenches. Once they are free, he places coins on their eyes to pay Charon for passage into paradise. Detective Marlowe Gentry has spent the past two years on the edge. The last serial killer he hunted murdered his wife before his eyes and left his young daughter a mute shell. Whenever she looks at him, her dead eyes push him farther into a downward spiral of pain and regret. He sees the Seraphim as an opportunity for revenge, a chance to forgive himself―or die trying. Gabriel performs the gods’ work with increasing confidence, freeing the chosen from their misery. One day, the gods withdraw the blessing―a victim he was certain yearned for release still holds the spark of life. Stunned, he retreats into the night, questioning why the gods have abandoned a loyal servant. Without his calling, Gabriel is insignificant to the world around him. He will do anything to keep that from happening.

The Heretic knows they lied. Now, he will make them confess. The first murder, a small town pastor burned at the stake, seems personal; an act of rage committed on impulse. But when a second victim is found brutally tortured to death, Detective Marlowe Gentry realizes he’s dealing with a serial killer who is drawing inspiration from the Inquisition. The killer’s methods grow more gruesome with each victim. He’s escalating, racing toward an endgame. How far will The Heretic go to punish those who betrayed him? And can Marlowe stop him before the ultimate trial?

Three six-year-old girls vanish from a playground in Red Weed, Alabama, and they aren’t the first. Two others have disappeared over the last five years, all in October. Marlowe Gentry and his team believe the abductions are part of a ritual, the kidnapper acting out some event from their past. Clothes and toys taken suggest the children are still alive and being held captive…for now. As they delve deeper into the case, Marlowe finds a town where everyone hides personal demons…and secrets. To uncover the truth, he and his team must peel back layers of deception, veiled agendas, and horrible realities. The clock is ticking. The girls don’t have much time left…if it isn’t already too late.